Is Autopilot that much better than Competitors?

[Canuck]

That's a regulation about signage, line markings etc... The very next question makes it clear that while they have to comply with the regulations about signage, nobody actually has authority to enforce it.

My experience with traffic regulations on private property is that there isn't any. E.G. if someone hits your car in a parking lot, the cops either won't come or if they do come won't issue a ticket. But that may vary by location.

I removed the link because you are correct, it applies to signage. But my answer is still correct:

"Generally, statutory traffic regulations or rules of the road have no application to traffic on private ways or premises. However, this principle has often been qualified to hold that such traffic regulations or rules are applicable to private ways or premises used generally by the public for travel"- See more at: Traffic Signs Posted on Private Property :: Quick and Dirty Tips â„¢

 

[breser]

I removed the link because you are correct, it applies to signage. But my answer is still correct:

"Generally, statutory traffic regulations or rules of the road have no application to traffic on private ways or premises. However, this principle has often been qualified to hold that such traffic regulations or rules are applicable to private ways or premises used generally by the public for travel"- See more at: Traffic Signs Posted on Private Property :: Quick and Dirty Tips â„¢

Except that I think most places don't have any rules about cars driving themselves.

This website has some info on the current state of laws with respect to this:
Automated Driving: Legislative and Regulatory Action - CyberWiki

 

[Canuck]

Except that I think most places don't have any rules about cars driving themselves.

This website has some info on the current state of laws with respect to this:
Automated Driving: Legislative and Regulatory Action - CyberWiki

Right. So back to the original issue about it raining and getting the car to park itself. Will we have to wait for private parking lots to be mapped, or will the car be able to just go and find a spot based on its own analysis of its camera's data? Since private parking lots are subject to the same rules and legislation as public roads, it's hard to imagine that self driving cars will be exempt from those rules, but even if they are, you can bet signs will go up on private property saying "No self-driving permitted" to limit the liability of the property owner. In any event, we'll still need our umbrellas for at least a few years to come and probably many more than that.

 

[breser]

Right. So back to the original issue about it raining and getting the car to park itself. Will we have to wait for private parking lots to be mapped, or will the car be able to just go and find a spot based on its own analysis of its camera's data? Since private parking lots are subject to the same rules and legislation as public roads, it's hard to imagine that self driving cars will be exempt from those rules, but even if they are, you can bet signs will go up on private property saying "No self-driving permitted" to limit the liability of the property owner. In any event, we'll still need our umbrellas for at least a few years to come and probably many more than that.

For what it's worth I think the car picking you up bit of Elon's presentation was Elon getting ahead of himself. I seriously doubt that functionality is coming soon anyway.

 

[Canuck]

For what it's worth I think the car picking you up bit of Elon's presentation was Elon getting ahead of himself. I seriously doubt that functionality is coming soon anyway.

Yes, that's my feeling too. It seemed to be more hype than substance. It likely will happen but not anytime soon and probably not with the current hardware.

 

[bob_p]

So far, Tesla has significantly underperformed on promised software capabilities.

The App Store was promised before launch - haven't heard anything about that in a very, very long time.

There were mentions of a major software upgrade to the browser and an emulator so at least some android apps could run on-board - again, no mention of this for a very long time.

Then there were comments about major improvements to the navigation software - with trip planning features to help in managing charging stops - again, the latest version 6 hasn't added any major improvements other than re-routing based on real-time traffic data. The navigation software is missing features typically available in other navigations systems - including those that have been in other cars for 5-10 years...

And, the media playback/entertainment software is still missing basic features - such as playlists or random playback.

While the newly announced Autopilot software looks very promising - so far, Tesla has continued to underperform on meeting expectations on their software.

Still hoping Tesla will start catching up on the onboard software capabilities - waiting, waiting, ...

 

[mdevp]

But, to answer the thread's question: no, it's worse. Right now Tesla only has basic lane keep assist and software to identify speed limit signs. Who knows if or when everything else will be ready?

But not according to Elon. He not only said that his autopilot was better, it was far better, as in no comparison. Musk had to have checked out rival autodrive programs. Is he way off?

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, is Tesla's technology its own or do they get it from some supplier?

From what I remember Elon said that the major chip/CPU is mobileye, the ultrasonics are bosch, the rest I don't know. However, one emphasis Elon made sure the interviewer knew that all the software programming is all ground-up Tesla, and he gave the impression that this was the reason why Tesla's autopilot is far better and "leapfrogged" its competitors. Though he didn't elaborate why Tesla's was so much better.

 

[Zeani]

Is Tesla really still the only car company with over-the-air updates? I was under the impression newer Mercedes vehicles had this with their Mbrace technology?

 

[Cosmacelf]

To answer the OP question: right now, Autopilot is much worse than the competition because it doesn't exist. So, let's just wait until it releases before making comparisons.

 

[wk057]

I can't see these types of auto driving systems being complete without things like IR sensors to pick up, oh like a baby crawling in the driveway or something that might be below the radar's range of sight.

If the baby is below the radar's LoS, then it is almost certainly not in the driver's LoS and the driver would run it over anyway without auto driving...

Moral: don't let your kids crawl in the driveway...

 

[breser]

Is Tesla really still the only car company with over-the-air updates? I was under the impression newer Mercedes vehicles had this with their Mbrace technology?

I've not followed MB that much but from poking around it looks that mbrace2 does have apps that can be updated over the air. But I think that's far more limited than what we're talking about with Tesla. I've never heard of another automaker updating the software on the car to the degree where a new feature like Hill Assist gets added. Updating the apps in a telematic system is vastly different than what Tesla has been doing.

 

[mdevp]

To answer the OP question: right now, Autopilot is much worse than the competition because it doesn't exist. So, let's just wait until it releases before making comparisons.

That is a fair statement but consider this.
1. Elon has said that silicon valley engineers will produce a far superior auto-driving platform then its rivals, if not, shame on Tesla.
2. From the posts/videos on this thread, it seems that Mercedes/Audi's program is at least as good if not better than Tesla's.
3. Just a few weeks ago, Elon assuredly said Tesla's autopilot is far better and has leapfrogged competitors. He was very confident with this comparison.

Therefore, Elon must know something about his system that we don't. I'm wondering if any insiders have any info on what makes Tesla's autopilot so much better even though its not obvious atm.

 

[drsaab]

Possibly the Tesla AP will allow for longer hands free time. The current MB one I have is very good. The new 2014 MB S550 and up has way more sensors etc and is prob the best around till today.

The dash screen interface on the sample order page where you see all card around you like a video game does not exist with any other manufacturer.

 

[mdevp]

These guys at Lux Populi must have seen the Elon interview too, because they completely disagree that Tesla's autopilot system is better than other automakers, calling it "hype".

Tesla’s Autonomous Car Claims More Hype Than Reality - Lux Research:
Here's an interesting note as well- "....and conversations in our automotive network indicate frustration that Tesla is viewed as so advanced while in reality numerous OEMS have technologies equal to or more advanced than what Tesla is claiming."

So, rumor has it that other automakers are really ticked off that Tesla is getting "most technologically advanced" branding by customers and the media and other luxury automakers don't think they deserve it! Wow, that is some juicy info.

 

[donv]

The main advantage Tesla has is that they are willing to optimize for hands free operation, while the other car companies are all afraid to do this.

 

[ecarfan]

So, rumor has it that other automakers are really ticked off that Tesla is getting "most technologically advanced" branding by customers and the media and other luxury automakers don't think they deserve it! Wow, that is some juicy info.

That's amusing. For decades every car company has promoted their cars annually as "all new" and "best ever" and blah blah blah. And now they are annoyed that Tesla is promoting its Auto Pilot feature as better than what they are offering.

 

[deonb]

Therefore, Elon must know something about his system that we don't. I'm wondering if any insiders have any info on what makes Tesla's autopilot so much better even though its not obvious atm.

Don't go there. Trying to analyze Elon's words for some hidden meaning generally just ends in disappointment.

In all prior cases, it was just Elon getting ahead of himself.

Brings back memory of the "Right under your nose" / "Recharge faster than you can fill a tank of gas" discussions.

 

[sngardner]

If that's true about the side and rear radars that they only see 16 feet, what happens when you go to change lanes at 50mph and some jackass (like me) is coming up at like 100mph? You'd pull right in front and cause an accident. That worries me that there isn't long range radar on the rear.

That's why they call it autopilot and not a autonomous driving. You still have to be responsible for what you're doing. You can't just willy nilly hit the blinker and think nothing bad is going to happen. You have to look and make sure someone isn't going a hundred miles an hour behind you before you actually make that lane change. Anyway that's still a long way off before we even get that type of autopilot capability. I hope I'm wrong and I hope tesla proves me wrong but that's what I feel will
happened. it could be another couple of years.

 

[techmaven]

As an software engineer, I know that people that understand the innards of a technology often have different metrics than an observer or consumer on the outside. Further, with the 80/20 rule, each advance gets harder to achieve and yet, looks smaller from the outside.

For example, there's a video of a BMW 3 series going around a racetrack using GPS only. They pre-mapped the course as far as I can tell from the video. So from an outsider, it looks like the BMW 3 series can drive itself around the racecourse very effectively, they should be ready to stick it into production cars and my car can drive me to work, right? Well, no. But the video looks pretty good.

 

[Tedkidd]

Possibly the Tesla AP will allow for longer hands free time. The current MB one I have is very good. The new 2014 MB S550 and up has way more sensors etc and is prob the best around till today.

The dash screen interface on the sample order page where you see all card around you like a video game does not exist with any other manufacturer.

Can you share some details about what it's like to drive using the s550 system?