Model S doesn't see the concrete Parking Lot stop blocks, but Model X does

[plasmo]

One of the things about our Model X that I like is how it is able to consistently detect the distance from a concrete front bumper stop block (4 7/8" h) when approaching it in a parking lot.

My Model S rarely seems to be able to detect this. Is this what other Model S owners have experienced? thanks.

 

[croman]

The S is lower to the ground and will lose "sight" of the block as it gets close. You should detect the obstacle as you are pulling in before you are within about 1.5 feet (i.e. 3 feet out). If the concrete block is short, it might not detect it at all but it also won't damage your car's fascia either.

 

[Duke-U]

It will scrape the underside though.... Found out

 

[whitex]

I don't have an X, so cannot compare, but on the S ultrasonic sensors don't see a lot of things, including about half the cars in the blind spots. The way I use them is - if it sees something, it's probably there, if it says "all clear", 50:50 chance there is something there. It's a gimmick feature Tesla wanted to put a checkmark next to. I'm hoping with AP2 cameras it will improve, but of course first the car needs to actually start using those cameras. Blind spot monitoring on AP1 is like the 691hp on P85D, it's there but with massive fine print (for BSM it does warn sometimes, and for 691hp, the motors are capable even but nowhere near 691hp with the battery it shipped with or even after the $5K battery upgrade to Ludicrous).

 

[dknisely]

The AP2 solution for detection of obstacles like this is not ultrasonic sensors, which are extremely crude, but advanced computer vision using all 8 cameras that track the objects in 3D space as you approach and recognize the type of object(s) whenever possible. That will come eventually as part of FSD functionality, but I don't see Tesla worrying about or focusing on better stop-gap solutions using the ultrasonic sensors. That would be a waste of time that wouldn't contribute to the end goal and for limited gain. Ultrasonics will never get you to advanced complex summon, sophisticated auto-park and un-park, etc.

The same is true for recognition of other cars, objects, and different vehicle types in adjacent lanes. Eventually computer vision will solve the problems (or else FSD will never work, obviously).

 

[croman]

They work great as parking aides for me. Not an issue in 6 months. Clearly while traveling at speed they are less useful.

 

[Patrick W]

I've seen mentions of that elsewhere on this forum before. One poor guy posted pictures of what happened after he parked too close and when he backed up it pulled the bumper off the car.

My first S was a HW1 and scraped those parking blocks so I learned not to get too close. However when I traded that for a HW2 S a few months ago I no longer had the problem.

Recently while at a supercharger I saw a HW1 S and measured how high the bumper was off the ground and found it to be a bit lower than my HW2 S (both w/air suspension set to normal).

So more clearance is good but it would be nice to have the car detect things like that and warn the driver as needed.

 

[ZAKEEUS]

I was actually playing around with this 2 days ago testing accuracy and clearance. Skip to 8:00, for that part. There is basically about a 2" strike zone that won't be detected.

 

[skip8jj]

Check this string for a front facing camera for the MS. 2nd run of camera switch that show an front image on the touch screen

 

[Vad42]

It will scrape the underside though.... Found out

Yea me too. In fact it is damaged enough that I likely need a new bumper. Going to the body shop today to find out the damage. Now I'm not actually sure how it happens as my wife only noticed when she got home and we don't know exactly when/what happened, but based on the damage it looks like scrape on the bottom that caused dent/break in the bumper. Can't think of anything else that could've happened without driver realizing/hearing.

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

The OP is asking about S vs. X, not AP1 vs. 2.

 

[plasmo]

I was actually playing around with this 2 days ago testing accuracy and clearance. Skip to 8:00, for that part. There is basically about a 2" strike zone that won't be detected.

Nice video and thanks for doing these tests. This explains why I never get any notification of the front Parking lot bumpers that only stand 4 7/8" tall.

@GlmnAlyAirCar Yes, my original question was comparing Model S vs. X, not AP1 vs. 2.
My Model S is AP2, and wife's Model X is AP1, if that clarifies things.
If I get a chance, I might try to redo your front bumper experiment with the Model S vs. X.