Mandatory Tesla AP training required before activation?

[Pdub2015]

After reading about the most recent incident involving a driver who clearly did not understand the limitations of his Tesla's AP technology, I've finally become convinced that the factory should create and deploy a mandatory training program for everyone who wishes to activated and use their car's AP functionality.

It doesn't have to be long and drawn out, perhaps 30 minutes to an hour, delivered via webcast or maybe in person at the nearest Tesla shop. Maybe it can draw from whatever training is given to Tesla sales reps; or maybe it can enhance sales rep training. In any event, what's clear to me is that 1) not everyone reads the damn owner's manual and 2) not every Tesla owner takes the time to understand the nuances and limitations of this complicated technology.

We've seen the videos of the yahoos treating it as if it were some type of game, and we've read the tragic story of Joshua Brown. What we need is to make sure everyone who uses the system actually knows how it works before hand.

 

[sandpiper]

I would agree unfortunately. It could be something as simple as a video at the dealership, followed by a simple Q&A and an "I understand the limitations of the system" signature.

 

[Fernand]

To make a long story short, after I took delivery and started using EAP in Jan 2019, it took me several weeks to get proficient with NOA, especially to understand that you should "ride" it, and that there's no shame in dropping into manual in anticipation of tricky situations, rather than sitting back and waiting for proof of failure. I was determined to make it work, to get my money's worth, so I stuck with it.

At this point I'm very comfortable with it. It's on 99% of the time on the freeways, and it's phenomenally useful. But someone just jumping in is bound to get very frightened and end up under-using it. Then reporting that "NOA is useless".

An interactive training program should be mandatory IMHO. For safety and customer satisfaction.
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[gearchruncher]

The interesting challenge here is that not just first owners drive Teslas.
Spouses, parents, friends. Turo rental users. Second owners that Tesla doesn't know anything about.
Not to mention, Tesla has changed AP quite a bit over the years, so this training would need to be recurrent when some AP releases come out.

If the system is designed such that it needs training to be safely used, it needs a much more robust system to verify that training occurred for the specific driver behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, the story that AP is complex and can actually be dangerous if not used properly is a bit against how Tesla wants it to be seen, so a high training bar is the last thing they want. The simple "it says you have to pay attention" is probably a better defense for them than "someone was trained by us and still had an accident." There's even a chance the required training could make them perceived as more liable as it would demonstrate that even Tesla thought the system was not safe enough to be used without training yet they didn't have a way to enforce that.

 

[Dan D.]

I'd like to see them tackle the misperception of what Level 2 driving is.

Imagine if TV could be used to inform. Say a series of 2 minute spots in regular ad time, paid for by Tesla, Ford etc. Explaining different aspects and limitations of their systems. Really explaining, not infomercials.

Yes, madness I know. Hey maybe the NHTSA can pay for them?

 

[JHCCAZ]

I'd like to see them tackle the misperception of what Level 2 driving is.

Imagine if TV could be used to inform. Say a series of 2 minute spots in regular ad time, paid for by Tesla, Ford etc. Explaining different aspects and limitations of their systems. Really explaining, not infomercials.

Yes, madness I know. Hey maybe the NHTSA can pay for them?

"Really explaining" SAE autonomy levels, as PSA edu-videos on TV? Hmmm...good thought but you need a more populist approach...

Jim Morrison explains the vehicle operator's responsibilities in L2, in the first 40 seconds here:

 

[daniel]

Good idea, but IMO impractical. I've never lived closer than 4 or 5 hours drive to a Tesla store or service center, and you cannot drive to one from where I live now due to about 90 miles of open ocean in the way. And mandatory training of any sort would discourage a lot of people from buying the car in the first place.

In most (maybe all?) states in the U.S. and many other countries, driver's license testing is woefully inadequate. Considering the way people drive, it's not just AP/FSD users that need training. There should be much more rigorous training and much stricter testing for driver's licenses. When my father was in his early 80's his driving became erratic and my sister forbade him from driving. Everybody on the road was lucky that she was able to get him to stop driving. (He'd never have listened to me!)

But the political fallout from taking licenses away from old people who can no longer drive safely would be enormous. And the loss of market for companies who require any effort from drivers would be significant.

I think the best we could hope for would be a small cash rebate for buyers who watch a training video. But I suspect that the "Hold my beer" crowd would not be helped. There will always be people who have unrealistic expectations (on both extremes) and people who do stupid things. When 40% of Americans won't even get a vaccine, how can you expect people who think they know how to drive a car to cooperate with a training program?