If there is no one in the left lane then you could use it to continually pass people and the car should never move back to the right. This should be the default behavior
I suppose this is off-topic (so will not comment after this), though modifying the current autopilot algorithm as below would be a quantum leap.
Partially agree. On a simple two-lane, each direction, freeway (e.g. I-5 Central Valley, etc.):
1) Move to left lane to pass slow traffic in right lane.
2) Immediately after pass is complete, after giving sufficient distance to avoid rock-chipping anyone, move to right lane. Stay there until forced to pass again on left.
Note this will necessarily mean that under typical conditions you will frequently be undertaking (passing on right!).
But it really is the only way to go. Maximizes the speed of all traffic, which is the goal.
The issue with staying in the fast lane even when there is no traffic behind you is that you MAY slightly slow traffic coming up behind you very quickly (before you move over). It’s important to reduce such slowing as much as possible.
Another reason is that YOU may slow down if you encounter a camper in the fast lane. You want to make sure you can pass these people on the right so you don’t have to slow down (which will potentially slow down traffic behind you). By passing them on the right, you reduce/eliminate the slowing they cause and keep traffic flowing.
I-5 is infuriating. So many people setting up their Labor Day camp in the left lane. Slows things way down. I was forced to do so much passing on the right just to be able to get back up to 75-80. It just takes a few people doing 65 in the fast lane to slow things down for miles. The trucks passing trucks also slow things down, but not nearly as much as the campers.
The above algorithm also assures that when everyone is following it, all passes will occur on the left.
Slight additional complexity is how to deal with a pass when faster traffic is behind you (in either lane). You should yield to the faster traffic if you will not complete the pass before the faster traffic would have to slow down for you.
I wish this could be implemented. It would be a quantum leap. As it is, in Mad Max mode, the AP only occasionally correctly identifies the lane that is moving faster. It is just randomly wrong for no apparent reason a lot of the time, and inexplicably slows down when traffic ahead in the current lane is moving more slowly (even if it is the right lane - I could understand the left lane, though that is silly too)! It is bizarre. Why would it slow down?
I would like to see this 100% functional before worrying much about city streets (which are considerably more complicated). It would be a demonstration that simple driving behaviors are possible to execute correctly, which is currently only a theory and has not yet been demonstrated.
