Getting too used to Autopilot

[Jweiner]

What I hate most about the adaptive cruise control is when someone turns left in front of me (from the oncoming traffic). The car sees this and immediately decelerates (sometimes pretty hard) to avoid a collision that was never going to happen.

 

[daniel]

Sometimes I have kinda the opposite AP aware problem. I'm driving along NOT on AP and suddenly realize I'm actually in control and must work the steering wheel.

That's my biggest fear also: That I'll forget the car is not in AP and will fail to take action when there's an issue.

It’s the 5% of the time when AP can’t handle it that led me to choose not to bother with it at all. I personally find it much easier to drive the car myself than to supervise AP driving for me.

Interesting. I find it very easy to monitor the car to be ready to take over, while otherwise allowing it to keep itself in the lane. I frequently take over for a few moments, then give it back to the car.

It's not that. The one thing I hate about AP right now is that at every onramp it'll slide half out of the lane and then abruptly back in as the merge happens, it sees itself in one big lane and then the lane narrows.

Yes. This is something Tesla really needs to work on.

I love my AP but I really wish they would fix the speed limit issue on the 10 mile stretch of straight road for my commute! It's listed at 45mph but speed limit is 55 and has been for 4 years. Can't go over 50mph and that'll get you run off the road. Not sure who gives Tesla their road data but this is really making me .

A very similar issue here on Maui: A lot of roads have such irrationally low speed limits that traffic flows ten to fifteen mph over the limit, and I either cause traffic to back up behind me, or I have to disengage EAP.

 

[rafacq]

The version of autopilot that came with my car is essentially adaptive cruise control + self steering. If I need to change lanes, I signal and it disengages the steering part but the adaptive CC is still on. Also, even if I'm not using AP, lane keep assist will kick in if I start to drift out of my lane without signalling first.

Automatic lane changing is NOT included and neither is navigate on AP. I have to get FSD to get those features.

Not sure how that compares to the old EAP. Hope that answers your question.

My 2015 S85D has AP1. When using AP on a freeway, if I use the turn signal light, AP will change lanes, of course if it’s safe. I do not need FSD.

 

[jj88]

Another problem is if CC is set for the speed limit, and that car going 10mph slower suddenly changes lanes. The car starts to accelerate - and you may be heading for a red light.

 

[OCR1]

I’m able to stay focused when I’m driving my car. When I use Autopilot I have a hard time focusing on supervising the car while it’s driving. It does a good job for a while and lulls me into a sense of complacency to where I get bored and my mind starts wandering. Then when it does something stupid I have to react quickly and hope I can take over in time. As I get older this becomes more challenging for me.

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

Another problem is if CC is set for the speed limit, and that car going 10mph slower suddenly changes lanes. The car starts to accelerate - and you may be heading for a red light.

I don't recommend using AP on city streets at this point unless it's bumper to bumper. Even then, it's easy to zonk out and forget about paying attention

 

[RLS5016]

Sometimes I have kinda the opposite AP aware problem. I'm driving along NOT on AP and suddenly realize I'm actually in control and must work the steering wheel.

So true. I sometimes have to look down to see if AP is in control or I am.

 

[SpudLime]

I'd settle for smoother stops while using AP. Having it figure out the stopped traffic a bit late and then slam on the brakes is annoying.

 

[JulienW]

I'll just add a SUPER fun and very ANTI-getting use to AP is driving on curvy and challenging roads. It is like a form of racing but slow and legal. It requires full on attention, both hands on the wheel and monitoring of the speed and steering. I love seeing just how challenging a road AP will navigate. Hope doing this also contribute to the neural network.

 

[SteveOfMo]

Yeah I'm planning on getting it eventually. Probably right after the next time Elon tweets that it's going to go up substantially again!

Hopefully the price for FSD will go down one more time and I’d purchase. Would help them in the long run trying to get to the million car robotaxi’s.

 

[JulienW]

Hopefully the price for FSD will go down one more time and I’d purchase. Would help them in the long run trying to get to the million car robotaxi’s.

No one knows for sure but I bet the order rate of adding FSD is a high percentage of cars now since Tesla made AP standard. Also with the event hype there is probably hight demand created. If Tesla gets the in city red light/stop sign driving out before next year this will farther value FSD. So it is likely (but who knows) that we won't see any more FSD sales.

 

[lampcord]

I'd settle for smoother stops while using AP. Having it figure out the stopped traffic a bit late and then slam on the brakes is annoying.

I only have one other car to compare, a Mazda CX-5 that I traded in for it. It had radar cruise and it was WAY worse. In fact one of the things it used to do that drove me up the wall was wait too long to slow down, then panic and flash BRAKE! BRAKE! BRAKE! on the screen. And I used to always think, if it knows I need to brake why isn't it just doing it for me instead of telling me to do it??

Compared to that, the Tesla is incredibly smooth. Both in braking and accelerating.

 

[DILIE]

I'll just add a SUPER fun and very ANTI-getting use to AP is driving on curvy and challenging roads. It is like a form of racing but slow and legal. It requires full on attention, both hands on the wheel and monitoring of the speed and steering. I love seeing just how challenging a road AP will navigate. Hope doing this also contribute to the neural network.

Southbound on the Dallas North Tollway for the last couple of miles before 635 at around 75 - 80 miles per hour (to avoid being rear ended.)
Some of those curves are white knuckle when AP is in control (and frequently when it isn't!)

 

[Zeronet]

NoA solves the Y split confusion. Simple AP is getting better too at this but not 100% and still gets confused. Especially in heavy construction cities (like every NA city).

I've noticed this weird confusion of the AP in wide merging lanes but I don't understand your complaint. Merging from a slow onramp onto a crowded fast-moving interstate under my own control is the most fun you can have with a Tesla. There is absolutely no gap in the traffic that you don't have the acceleration and maneuverability to squeeze in to. It turns a moment of impending panic into a joy. I would never let the AP take that from me.

 

[DILIE]

And I really wish they'd stop the aggressive centering on lane merges...

What I hate most about the adaptive cruise control is when someone turns left in front of me (from the oncoming traffic). The car sees this and immediately decelerates (sometimes pretty hard) to avoid a collision that was never going to happen.

Another problem is if CC is set for the speed limit, and that car going 10mph slower suddenly changes lanes. The car starts to accelerate - and you may be heading for a red light.

I'd settle for smoother stops while using AP. Having it figure out the stopped traffic a bit late and then slam on the brakes is annoying.

These are all the things for me. Please don't make me look like a clueless driver or get me pulled over at 11PM for erratic behavior.
Or worse, get me into an accident by being unpredictable.

I think lane positioning would benefit from having a guard band, rather than what seems to be a fixed ideal position. There should be a range where the car just stays put, so it doesn't make unnecessary corrections. It can have soft edges and hard edges. Soft edges for static positioning and hard edges for emergency recovery.

Then it can bias itself from other inputs.

• Lane opens up due to merge or just because they made it that way; just sit tight.
• Car in next lane is getting cozy with the stripe; slide over the other way a little.
• Sweeping right turn coming up; ease to the left edge, slide to the right at the apex, then slip back over as it ends.
• Car changing lanes into you; go all the way to the opposite hard edge, beep like crazy, and please blow the horn as well!

Isn't all of this what human drivers do?

Then we're just left with solving the "brake like a human" part of the problem.
Like, if there's slower traffic ahead at least let up on the accelerator a bit, OK pal?

 

[DILIE]

I've noticed this weird confusion of the AP in wide merging lanes but I don't understand your complaint. Merging from a slow onramp onto a crowded fast-moving interstate under my own control is the most fun you can have with a Tesla. There is absolutely no gap in the traffic that you don't have the acceleration and maneuverability to squeeze in to. It turns a moment of impending panic into a joy. I would never let the AP take that from me.

Pretty sure he means you're already on the highway, in the right lane, and the lane opens up to the right (speaking of right drive locales) for an onramp to merge in. The car will begin to center itself in the widening space and then recenter as the merge completes.

Hello! Police!?! I'm OVER HERE!!!

 

[bwwcmh]

That's what I did. Future proofing my car for $2k was a bargain.

As for Autopilot, it infuriates me when I see people with no personal experience with Autopilot stating it's highly dangerous. It really does work well 95% of the time. I'm always hopeful I'm paying attention during that 5%.

Agreed. While I find AP helpful on the highway and in traffic jams and see it do amazing things, there are also times (that other 5%) where I really have to wonder whether FSD is really so close. I'd be skeptical even if it were that other 0.5% or 0.05%.

 

[MountainJedi]

No one knows for sure but I bet the order rate of adding FSD is a high percentage of cars now since Tesla made AP standard. Also with the event hype there is probably hight demand created. If Tesla gets the in city red light/stop sign driving out before next year this will farther value FSD. So it is likely (but who knows) that we won't see any more FSD sales.

I think that if you're talking about orders at the time of purchase, it's possible you're right. But it's highly unlikely that post-purchase adds of FSD are in high demand as they recently lowered the price to be the same as at the time of purchase (from $8K to $6K).

 

[JulienW]

I think that if you're talking about orders at the time of purchase, it's possible you're right. But it's highly unlikely that post-purchase adds of FSD are in high demand as they recently lowered the price to be the same as at the time of purchase (from $8K to $6K).

Actually both since there are connected. If they come out with a discount for cars that didn't get it then people who are ordering might decide to NOT buy the option and wait for another sale. Also when city driving with red light/stop sign plus enhanced Summon happens you will see an increase in people who didn't order wanting to add and will see a higher value in it. Of course it's all speculation and Tesla does about anything and everything at times it seems.

 

[Zeronet]

Pretty sure he means you're already on the highway, in the right lane, and the lane opens up to the right (speaking of right drive locales) for an onramp to merge in. The car will begin to center itself in the widening space and then recenter as the merge completes.

OK, that's a good point. I guess I am rarely in the right lane. But fixing all the lane-centering issues also will involve a big advance in AI. Like when you are in the left lane passing a swerving giant truck. You should not keep to the center of the left lane. At times like this the human has to take control.