No blindspot warning on Model 3?

[kishdude]

I just took delivery of my Model 3 yesterday and absolutely love the car. For reference I've driven a Model S P85 for the past 5 years. But I'm not used to the autopilot and not sure how it's supposed to work and am looking for some answers to a couple of questions.

First, is there no blindsport warning? On my chevy volt, if there is a car in your blindspot, a yellow light turns on in the side view mirror to alert you, but I don't see any such warning on the Model 3 - not even on the screen - I still have to look over my shoulder before changing lanes. Is this a feature that is due to be added in the future?

Second, when my Model S was in for service, I had a loaner Model S that had autopilot, I seem to remember that the autopilot display showed all of the cars even the ones in the lanes adjacent to the current lane, but on the Model 3, I only ever see the car that is directly in front of me. Does anyone have an answer for why this is? Why does the autopilot on Model 3 not see adjacent cars? Thanks for your replies.

 

[C141medic]

Not sure how many miles you’ve driven since taking delivery so maybe it’s not fully calibrated yet?

 

[kishdude]

Not sure how many miles you’ve driven since taking delivery so maybe it’s not fully calibrated yet?

That's what I'm trying to figure out. Autopilot is available for me to use at present (I've driven 100 miles), but do the adjacent lanes and cars in them show up later with more calibration? Does anyone who has had the car for a while have an answer for this?

 

[MP3Mike]

That's what I'm trying to figure out. Autopilot is available for me to use at present (I've driven 100 miles), but do the adjacent lanes and cars in them show up later with more calibration? Does anyone who has had the car for a while have an answer for this?

AP1 shows cars in the adjacent lanes, AP2, and newer, do not. (Though it usually shows them when you turn the turn signals on.)

 

[Petra]

AP2 doesn't have 100% of the driver feedback that AP1 does... at least, not yet. Give it time.

On the blind spot warning front, the S and X don't really have meaningful blind spot warning either. I mean, sure, you'll get proximity arcs appearing around the car in the Autopilot information display on AP1 & AP2 cars, but it's not the most consistent/reliable system (especially since it's not generally where one is looking when scouting a lane change).

 

[kirk8500]

There's no light on the side view mirrors, which would obviously be preferable to the small indication you see on the screen for objects in blind spots.

I am wondering if at some point there will be a software update that perhaps gives some audible indication that object is spotted in blind spot when you activate the turn signal while driving.

 

[Cheburashka]

Yeah, AP2 is not up to parity with AP1 when it comes to driver feedback. Also, to my knowledge, AP1 can differentiate between different vehicle types.

Agreed that blind spot detection should be something standard on a car that costs over 50K. Don't know if we will ever see it and in what form, but an audible warning would be nice indeed, although knowing that there is a car there in the first place is best.

 

[JoaoD]

I still have to look over my shoulder before changing lanes.

If you need to look over your shoulder there is a chance that you are doing something wrong. You should adjust your mirrors so you don't see the rear of the car, or you barely see it. There is at least one thread about it: How do you adjust your side mirrors?
Since I adjusted the mirrors to do that I have never had the need to look over my shoulder, since when I can't see a car in the mirror anymore I will immediately see it in my peripheral vision, and I have tried it in different cars. I have always felt that the yellow warnings in the mirrors were useless (in cars that have that warning light).
This is not a solution to the warning, but it may help you feel safer without one.

 

[aronth5]

If you need to look over your shoulder there is a chance that you are doing something wrong. You should adjust your mirrors so you don't see the rear of the car, or you barely see it. There is at least one thread about it: How do you adjust your side mirrors?
Since I adjusted the mirrors to do that I have never had the need to look over my shoulder, since when I can't see a car in the mirror anymore I will immediately see it in my peripheral vision, and I have tried it in different cars. I have always felt that the yellow warnings in the mirrors were useless (in cars that have that warning light).
This is not a solution to the warning, but it may help you feel safer without one.

I have always looked over my shoulder for the past 50 years. Cannot image just relying on mirrors since I want to know what else may be going on to my left and towards my rear, not just who might be next to me.
I also also let my blinker blink 3 times before changing lanes but that is a different conversation.
Guess I'm just very conservative but have a perfect driving record. Never had an accident or a moving violation ticket even though I driver faster then most drivers.
My wife's car has the audible sound if you put your blinker on and there is a car there. That is a great safety feature.

Of course from what I hear the Model 3 may make it difficult to see looking out the back and sides

 

[JimmyAZ]

In my 2015 S85 you can see the sonar waves around your car on the driver display. They change from grey to yellow/orange/red. Does the vehicle display on the 3's center console not do that? If you've driven the S for 5 years I would think you'd be used to seeing that. Maybe it's just a learning curve to see that in the center display instead?

 

[lunitiks]

How about a rear radar ...

 

[JimmyAZ]

How about a rear radar ...

Unnecessary with rear looking cameras. The new AP relies on cams first, then radar if I recall correctly. They switched to that after the MobileEye split.

 

[lunitiks]

(A joke.)

 

[JimmyAZ]

(A joke.)

Oh geez. Sorry! I'm multitasking at work and didn't get your intent.

 

[daniel]

Yeah, AP2 is not up to parity with AP1 when it comes to driver feedback. Also, to my knowledge, AP1 can differentiate between different vehicle types.

Agreed that blind spot detection should be something standard on a car that costs over 50K. Don't know if we will ever see it and in what form, but an audible warning would be nice indeed, although knowing that there is a car there in the first place is best.

They say the Model 3 has all the necessary hardware for full self-driving (once the software becomes available). A self-driving car has to be able to see in all directions. So it should be a trivial matter to show the positions of all surrounding cars on the display, rather than just waiting for you to turn on the blinker, and then telling you "Watch out!"

I use the Click & Clack method of adjusting side mirrors (described above) but I also look over my shoulder.

 

[speedy]

There's no light on the side view mirrors, which would obviously be preferable to the small indication you see on the screen for objects in blind spots.

Well, interestingly enough, even though the Model S doesn't have the feature either, in the schematic diagram for the 2016 refresh, it shows a signal from the Door Control Module called Blindspot_LED that goes to the left mirror and a Blindspot LED. Same for the right mirror. Whether the LEDs exists or is future use is unknown but it certainly seems that Tesla intends to have blindspot indication in the mirror at some point. The Model 3 might have those same signals and LEDs in place as well....

 

[gregincal]

In my 2015 S85 you can see the sonar waves around your car on the driver display. They change from grey to yellow/orange/red. Does the vehicle display on the 3's center console not do that? If you've driven the S for 5 years I would think you'd be used to seeing that. Maybe it's just a learning curve to see that in the center display instead?

A Model S from 5 years ago does not have any such display, since it doesn't have ultrasonic sensors.

 

[JimmyAZ]

Ah I’ve never been in one without AP. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[ebwb]

I just took delivery of my Model 3 yesterday and absolutely love the car. For reference I've driven a Model S P85 for the past 5 years. But I'm not used to the autopilot and not sure how it's supposed to work and am looking for some answers to a couple of questions.

First, is there no blindsport warning? On my chevy volt, if there is a car in your blindspot, a yellow light turns on in the side view mirror to alert you, but I don't see any such warning on the Model 3 - not even on the screen - I still have to look over my shoulder before changing lanes. Is this a feature that is due to be added in the future?

Second, when my Model S was in for service, I had a loaner Model S that had autopilot, I seem to remember that the autopilot display showed all of the cars even the ones in the lanes adjacent to the current lane, but on the Model 3, I only ever see the car that is directly in front of me. Does anyone have an answer for why this is? Why does the autopilot on Model 3 not see adjacent cars? Thanks for your replies.

Your Volt uses radar for the blind spot monitoring, and it can detect fast approaching vehicles 80 feet away, not just in your blind spot. The light in the mirror flashes when there's a fast approaching vehicle, and stays lit when there's a car in your blind spot.

Teslas, whether Model S, X, or 3, do not have dedicated blind spot radar, but they do have ultrasonic parking sensors, which technically can sense adjacent cars. But compared to radar, ultrasonic parking sensors have more latency and limited range.

When Autopilot first came out, Tesla marketed this as blind spot detection but has since removed any reference to this feature. I suspect the feature will return in the future, once the side rear-facing cameras can be used to detect cars. The first blind spot monitoring systems from Volvo (BLIS circa 2003) used cameras, but they have since switched over to radar, as it's more effective at night.

 

[03DSG]

Your Volt uses radar for the blind spot monitoring, and it can detect fast approaching vehicles 80 feet away, not just in your blind spot. The light in the mirror flashes when there's a fast approaching vehicle, and stays lit when there's a car in your blind spot.

Teslas, whether Model S, X, or 3, do not have dedicated blind spot radar, but they do have ultrasonic parking sensors, which technically can sense adjacent cars. But compared to radar, ultrasonic parking sensors have more latency and limited range.

When Autopilot first came out, Tesla marketed this as blind spot detection but has since removed any reference to this feature. I suspect the feature will return in the future, once the side rear-facing cameras can be used to detect cars. The first blind spot monitoring systems from Volvo (BLIS circa 2003) used cameras, but they have since switched over to radar, as it's more effective at night.

As well the ultrasonic sensors on all the new AP2 hardware cars have twice the range and sensitivity as the old sensors. I’ll look for a reference.

Edit, all I could find:

Advanced Sensor Coverage
Eight surround cameras provide 360 degrees of visibility around the car at up to 250 meters of range. Twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement this vision, allowing for detection of both hard and soft objects at nearly twice the distance of the prior system. A forward-facing radar with enhanced processing provides additional data about the world on a redundant wavelength that is able to see through heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.