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Enhanced autopilot - worth it?

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I didn't really notice much of a difference when I used Tesla's Autopilot on my Model 3 test drive.

Because you only did a test drive, and these features need a bit of driving to get used to it and get comfortable with it.

There is a reason why as much as 70% of folks (my guess) pay $5k premium to get AP across the three models. That is a huge uptake.

There is a reason why there are, I guess over hundreds of owner YouTube videos of AP driving.

And i will postulate as to why there have been some accidents with Tesla AP whereas there have been none on the others.

- it is a very widely used feature. Why? Because it is so damn good.

- it is so good that often it lulls people into complacency that they forget it is only driver assistance and it still needs their partial attention at least.

- the other car systems, I would guess are rarely used for a good reason. They are useful and work good in a narrow set of use cases.

I have a friend who has Nissan pro-pilot. He rarely uses it for the same reason.
 
So...is TACC what folks use the most in EAP or is the brief few seconds for hands off wheel the other or more compelling feature of EAP?

The way I use them

TACC is for pretty much any highway/freeway. It's not just convenience, but it's also keeping yourself from speeding as it's REALLY easy to speed in this car.

AP (TACC+AS) is for undivided freeways where it's either stop and go traffic, or hardly any traffic at all. I don't like using it in dense high traffic conditions as I feel it reduces my situational awareness. In those conditions I'm more comfortable with TACC.

I've been on the fence about going from my Model S 70D AP1 to a Model 3 LR AP2 because EAP isn't really where it's supposed to be at.

Right now the auto park stuff doesn't work all that great. I'm convinced it will once all the cameras are really in use.

The one killer feature of EAP will be automatically changing lanes where I don't have to tell it to change lanes. This would go a long ways in pushing me to upgrade to AP2.
 
Because you only did a test drive, and these features need a bit of driving to get used to it and get comfortable with it.
Not sure how much getting comfortable driver assist needs. You turn it on and let it do its thing. I didn't really see Autopilot doing much different than the Audi system. There are a few things where Audi is more conservative. For example, while the traffic jam assist can handle stop and go fully automatically, it requires a tap on the accelerator to get going again if the car was completely stopped for a longer period. This is obviously a safety measure.
There is a reason why as much as 70% of folks (my guess) pay $5k premium to get AP across the three models. That is a huge uptake.
I think many people buy it because of (1) Tesla's brilliant marketing (which makes Autopilot look like something more than a regular drive assist system even though it currently really isn't) and (2) the future potential. I also suspect many potential Model 3 buyers have never used the systems available in other premium cars.

PS: Forgot reason (3): because you have to buy Autopilot to get something as simple as adaptive cruise control.
 
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I think many people buy it because of (1) Tesla's brilliant marketing (which makes Autopilot look like something more than a regular drive assist system even though it currently really isn't)

You are basically saying the people who are buying, like me, are idiots.

We are so dumb and stupid that we are taken in by the marketing, not once but twice.! Because there are many people here who have owned an S or X for years and have driven AP for tens of thousands of miles and we are stupid to pay for that feature again the 2nd time.

I would bet 90% of current S/X owners who have AP today, are again paying for AP in their M3.

Interestingly besides the one video they have in tesla.com, Tesla does not do any pretty girls marketing.. like you know Audi. It is the Tesla owners who evangelize it.

As a owner, I will tell you one thing about Summon - gimmick
 
You are basically saying the people who are buying, like me, are idiots.

We are so dumb and stupid that we are taken in by the marketing, not once but twice.! Because there are many people here who have owned an S or X for years and have driven AP for tens of thousands of miles and we are stupid to pay for that feature again the 2nd time.
I am rather thinking about people who have no experience with Tesla and read things like this on their web page, not being aware that half of these things don't work yet:


"Enhanced Autopilot adds these new capabilities to the Tesla Autopilot driving experience. Your Tesla will match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane, automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when your destination is near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and from your garage."[/QUOTE]
 
Few Seconds? I use both all the time and seldom get the nag because I generally have 1 hand lightly on the wheel. So easy to get used too after a while.
So then its like lane keeping assist if you have to keep your hand(s) on the wheel. So, TACC and "Autosteer" (no lane change) is like other manufacturers Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist.

Regarding auto lane change, that would be cool for road trips...especially if we can have hands off wheel.
 
What things?

It's like being in a car with someone who doesn't have much driving experience and is more reactionary instead anticipatory. For example, I like to keep a bubble not only front-to-back but also side-by-side at freeway speeds. EAP seems to be quite content to keep up at speed even with another car directly next to me or in a blind spot. Combined with it's tendency to drift over when confronted with curves and overcorrect to stay in the center of the lane, I've had to grab the wheel and take over more times than I'd like. I feel it performs better in stop-and-go traffic where everything happens much slower, or maybe it's just that I have more time to react if it does something I don't like.
 
So then its like lane keeping assist if you have to keep your hand(s) on the wheel. So, TACC and "Autosteer" (no lane change) is like other manufacturers Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist.

Regarding auto lane change, that would be cool for road trips...especially if we can have hands off wheel.
Autosteer is a step or two past Lane Keeping Assist. The hand on the wheel is because the car demands some periodic resistance to its steering as a sign tart the driver is engaged and paying attention, but you can take your hands off the wheel and the car will continue right down the center of the lane (and it will eventually nag you for input). Most LKA systems either correct driver drifting towards another lane or just warn them when they're drifting.

LKA = reactive corrective or alert system to correct for driver error
Autosteer = active vehicle control system with human supervision
 
Autosteer is a step or two past Lane Keeping Assist. The hand on the wheel is because the car demands some periodic resistance to its steering as a sign tart the driver is engaged and paying attention, but you can take your hands off the wheel and the car will continue right down the center of the lane (and it will eventually nag you for input). Most LKA systems either correct driver drifting towards another lane or just warn them when they're drifting.

LKA = reactive corrective or alert system to correct for driver error
Autosteer = active vehicle control system with human supervision
I didn't order EAP on my 3 since I don't even use the cruise control in my ICE. I've logged over 2 million miles in 48 years driving cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Just like to drive. When it requires effort, it's time to pull over and take a break. I can always add it later if I feel the need. That's the beauty of the 3; it can always be updated.
 
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It's like being in a car with someone who doesn't have much driving experience and is more reactionary instead anticipatory. For example, I like to keep a bubble not only front-to-back but also side-by-side at freeway speeds. EAP seems to be quite content to keep up at speed even with another car directly next to me or in a blind spot. Combined with it's tendency to drift over when confronted with curves and overcorrect to stay in the center of the lane, I've had to grab the wheel and take over more times than I'd like. I feel it performs better in stop-and-go traffic where everything happens much slower, or maybe it's just that I have more time to react if it does something I don't like.
I see. As far as driving in blind spots, I do feel like it'd be worth to make a stink about this, so it can be corrected in future versions of EAP.

As far as reacting to things, do you think too short of a following distance may have an impact on the (limited) front view of AP and not provide it an ample time to react?
 
One reason I may be choosing EAP is to have some additional safety during freeway driving(> 15-20 mts) with fatigue/boredom. Basically I am looking for TACC, which I am assuming is part of EAP and not offered separately. So, just for this feature the price($5,000) seems to be high. Lane changing/self parking/summon(when available) may be nice but I am not sure I would be using them frequently. Am I a wrong in my assumptions?
 
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I see. As far as driving in blind spots, I do feel like it'd be worth to make a stink about this, so it can be corrected in future versions of EAP.

As far as reacting to things, do you think too short of a following distance may have an impact on the (limited) front view of AP and not provide it an ample time to react?

Not sure. I haven't dared using anything less than 6 following distance at full freeway speed. It goes all the way down to 3, which is way too close when going that fast.
 
One reason I may be choosing EAP is to have some additional safety during freeway driving(> 15-20 mts) with fatigue/boredom. Basically I am looking for TACC, which I am assuming is part of EAP and not offered separately. So, just for this feature the price($5,000) seems to be high. Lane changing/self parking/summon(when available) may be nice but I am not sure I would be using them frequently. Am I a wrong in my assumptions?

There are other people who can answer who have far more EAP miles under them. You can see from my other posts that I've only had my Model 3 for 2 weeks. However, the TACC is exactly the reason I wanted EAP and I sprung for it. I'd argue that having EAP on actually puts me in a state of hyperawareness. In that way, it does help with fatigue/boredom because you can't trust what the car is going to do. I end up paying more attention than I would if I was driving myself.
 
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I'm not springing for it. Not yet anyway. I'm buying the car because I can charge at home. The performance is great. The simplicity. The user interface. The killer looks.

I like driving. My mazda has ACC. It's great. Not worth 5k though. I'm banking that EAP will improve. I'm also banking that tesla will lure us non-EAP folks with incentives in the future to purchase. We already have the hardware. We'll see how it goes.