-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
LA and SF frequent traveler (does autopilot helps tremendously)
- Thread starter CrazyM3
- Start date
chronopc
Active Member
My parents live in LA, so I drive from SF to LA about once every month and a half since getting my Model 3. Before that I refused to drive. The reduction in fatigue is night and day. I guess if I had to put a % on it, I would say that I feel about 25% the amount of fatigue with AP compared to manually driving.
Just get some audiobooks or podcast and the drive is very pleasant. Kettleman City supercharger is a great place to stop and is almost exactly half way.
drive between SoCal to the Peninsula quarterly, and absolutely love EAP on I-5. Not sure I can put a % guess on fatigue, bcos in part, the M3 is a more of a sports car and I used to drive more of a road /touring car which was much cushier.
The only thing that bothers me -- or more importantly, da wife -- is that while TACC tracks dead center in the lane, trucks and others will wave in their lane every often (generally texting or talking on the phone) and start to approach the Bot dots. If I was driving myself, I'd slide over some in my lane to keep a safe space between us, but TACC keeps the car dead center. Once another car hits the bot dots in the next lane, I just take over.
The only thing that bothers me -- or more importantly, da wife -- is that while TACC tracks dead center in the lane, trucks and others will wave in their lane every often (generally texting or talking on the phone) and start to approach the Bot dots. If I was driving myself, I'd slide over some in my lane to keep a safe space between us, but TACC keeps the car dead center. Once another car hits the bot dots in the next lane, I just take over.
TT97
Active Member
I second this. I did L.A. to Sacramento to San Fran to L.A. last November and the drive was much better than with an ICE vehicle. NOA is much better on the long tract with the sparse traffic than in busy L.A. traffic (and now with the new NOA, it is probably even better).
If you stop at Pea Soup Andersen's, their service is so ridiculously slow that you will have more than enough charge by the time you finish for your meal.
If you stop at Pea Soup Andersen's, their service is so ridiculously slow that you will have more than enough charge by the time you finish for your meal.
chronopc
Active Member
You realize how fast charging is when you eat at a sit down restaurant and have to rush to finish so you can go unplug in time.I second this. I did L.A. to Sacramento to San Fran to L.A. last November and the drive was much better than with an ICE vehicle. NOA is much better on the long tract with the sparse traffic than in busy L.A. traffic (and now with the new NOA, it is probably even better).
If you stop at Pea Soup Andersen's, their service is so ridiculously slow that you will have more than enough charge by the time you finish for your meal.
You realize how fast charging is when you eat at a sit down restaurant and have to rush to finish so you can go unplug in time.
I had to go unplug and move the car then go back across to street to finish my burger!
chronopc
Active Member
Driving in LA is a perfect place to have autopilot. You will be stuck in traffic and not having to deal with stop and go traffic is such a game changer.
As much as I love having an S loaner, it gets irritating without AP.
I know why Enterprise doesn’t enable it but still sucks nonetheless.
There’s still people afraid of AP but I find it a fatigue reducing tool and a pleasure to use once you develop comfort and familiarity with its strengths and weaknesses.
I know why Enterprise doesn’t enable it but still sucks nonetheless.
There’s still people afraid of AP but I find it a fatigue reducing tool and a pleasure to use once you develop comfort and familiarity with its strengths and weaknesses.
chronopc
Active Member
Are you sure it's disabled? I had the hardest time activating the AP on the Model S at first. I tried pulling the stock down twice and it didn't work, but then I figured out that you actually have to pull the stock towards you twice.
I do 400-mile round trip every weekend and Autopilot was a game changer; it was the main reason I bought a Tesla. Fatigue cut back by a ton which also makes driving safer. In my previous vehicle, I sometimes would stop halfway for a 10 minute nap, but don't do that any more in the Tesla.
My route is very hilly and even the cruise control on my previous car the constant gear changing, over-revving, and bogging down was very tedious (albeit the comparison is with a Toyota FJ Cruise which was never meant to be a long haul comfort cruiser). I would not buy another car without some form of Autopilot at least as good as Tesla's (AP1 in a 2016 Model S).
My route is very hilly and even the cruise control on my previous car the constant gear changing, over-revving, and bogging down was very tedious (albeit the comparison is with a Toyota FJ Cruise which was never meant to be a long haul comfort cruiser). I would not buy another car without some form of Autopilot at least as good as Tesla's (AP1 in a 2016 Model S).
Yep, Model X and Model S has a stalk just for AP controls.
Clicking down on the "gear shifter" twice puts your car into Neutral for S/X. (doh!)
I know it's not enabled because TACC isn't. It's a white circle instead of blue surrounding the speed.
Maybe there was a miss/exception somewhere but my understanding is the Model S loaner fleets is ran by Enterprise. I'm pretty sure those cars do not have AP/EAP.
GHammer
Dark Star
Autopilot is fantastic for traveling I5, I travel to the Bay Area from Oregon several times a year and used to fly,. With autopilot I now drive, driving is so easy and relaxing.
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
EAP is nice in traffic, except if you are on the right most lane because car merging coming from your right
are not detected earlier and EAP doesn't slow down until the merging cars are very close in front of you
are not detected earlier and EAP doesn't slow down until the merging cars are very close in front of you
chronopc
Active Member
Yeah I know there's a separate stalk. The first time I had a loaner Model S I tried pushing down on the AP stalk twice and it didn't do anything. But when it pulled the stalk towards me twice, then it would engage.
As of 4/30/2019 - NOA creates more stress for me than taking way.
AP development is almost complete. FSD/NOA and beyond is still under development.
No matter what anyone tells you - whether it helps them or doesn't help them - they are evaluating a product that isn't complete. Experiences/perception will vary.
I had one of the very first HW2/EAP cars in 2016. Until middle of 2018:
EAP was Expected Autopilot (When do we get to use it above 25MPH?)
AP1 Parity was AP1-Parody. (When does it even reach the same level?)
AP/EAP has gotten better with time. No reason FSD won't either.
Unless you are not keeping your car for a long time, my advice is to go FSD and look forward to incremental improvements as they develop.
Last edited:
chronopc
Active Member
I would say AP is a game changer right now. EAP/FSD has a lot of promise and will be a game changer with future updates.
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
NOA works BUT the turn sign get activated at the same time that the car start to change lane. This is not safe.
There should be a 3 seconds delay between the moment the turn sign get activated and the moment the car starts to change lane.
In few occasions I had a car following me starting changing lane at the same time.
Checking my dashcam recording I can report that in this situation:
1) The driver following me, might slams on his brakes to let me changing lane, or
2) If the following car is already too close, then the NOA aborts the lane change:
- The NOA then makes the steering wheel vibrating and steers back to let the following car passing me.
Similar threads
