NOA Steep Learning Curve!

[Radlaw]

Just started using Navigation on Autopilot (NOA). It scares the heck out of me, especially the automatic lane change; so I disabled it. The moves from lane to lane when exiting the freeway are also quite sudden & jerky. Hopefully, I'll learn it, or it learns me. Anybody else out there have a challenge getting use to NOA?

 

[ckoval7]

Is it actually jerky, or does it just feel jerky because you're not the one in control?

 

[ewoodrick]

Get on a lightly traveled Interstate to start learning about it. Don't start learning it in the middle of LA traffic.

The car doesn't move suddenly, it prompts that it is moving on the screen before it does. It also requires hands on the wheel before it does. If your hands aren't on the wheel, it won't change lanes.

I suspect that "suddenly" is because you are in the driver's seat and are expecting to be in control. In the passenger seat, all moves are "sudden"

You may also want to get used to letting the car do lane changes on 4 lane divided roads by just pushing the turn signal and let the car change lane, no NoP, just TACC.

Once you stop driving and let the car do it, it does a fairly good job, I've seen people do worse. But, it's not perfect. It does mess up, it can go the wrong way. You still have to babysit it. But it makes long distance driving really nice.

Remember that NoA only works on limited access divided roads, like Interstates. NoA does uncommanded lane changes, whereas TACC requires you to make the decision. It works best on long rural Interstates, not the urban highways that we sometimes call Interstates.

 

[Radlaw]

Is it actually jerky, or does it just feel jerky because you're not the one in control?

Yes & Yes

 

[JulienW]

Yes & Yes

Practice grasshopper, it was the same for all of us. It is a total freak out the first couple of times. However in a couple of weeks you will need to actively pay attention. For me the "fun" is driving on curvy challenging roads testing to see if it can make all the turns and corrections. This requires FULL on attention and both hands on the wheel.

 

[tvad]

Just started using Navigation on Autopilot (NOA). It scares the heck out of me, especially the automatic lane change; so I disabled it. The moves from lane to lane when exiting the freeway are also quite sudden & jerky.

I am in Southern California, and I agree with you 100%. NOA makes odd moves...like merging to the #4 lane and then staying there at the speed limit while faster drivers line up behind waiting to pass. Why doesn't the Model 3 simply stay in the #2 or #3 lanes?

My Model 3 has missed exits several times because it made the decision too late and could not find a break in traffic.

As you know, many drivers in LA follow too closely at high speeds. Sudden braking when another car swiftly pulls into the gap between my Model 3 and the car in front causes abrupt braking that I'm afraid may cause a rear end collision.

Like you, I have mostly decided to turn off NOA. If freeway traffic happens to be unusually light, then I will sometimes turn on NOA to see how it fairs.

 

[JulienW]

I am in Southern California, and I agree with you 100%. NOA makes odd moves...like merging to the #4 lane and then staying there at the speed limit while faster drivers line up behind waiting to pass. Why doesn't the Model 3 simply stay in the #2 or #3 lanes?

My Model 3 has missed exits several times because it made the decision too late and could not find a break in traffic.

As you know, many drivers in LA follow too closely at high speeds. Sudden braking when another car swiftly pulls into the gap between my Model 3 and the car in front causes abrupt braking that I'm afraid may cause a rear end collision.

Like you, I have mostly decided to turn off NOA. If freeway traffic happens to be unusually light, then I will sometimes turn on NOA to see how it fairs.

Just to add I use NOA with confirmation On. This way I use my signal to force it to make changes when it is a good idea/opportunity and I can ignore the bad idea lane change suggestions. IMO full NOA is only good in moderate traffic with 4 of less lanes of traffic (rare here too). I only use full NOA when I head farther out of the city.

 

[tvad]

Just to add I use NOA with confirmation On. This way I use my signal to force it to make changes when it is a good idea/opportunity and I can ignore the bad idea lane change suggestions. IMO full NOA is only good in moderate traffic with 4 of less lanes of traffic (rare here too). I only use full NOA when I head farther out of the city.

Excellent choice!

 

[azred]

Just started using Navigation on Autopilot (NOA). It scares the heck out of me, especially the automatic lane change; so I disabled it. The moves from lane to lane when exiting the freeway are also quite sudden & jerky. Hopefully, I'll learn it, or it learns me. Anybody else out there have a challenge getting use to NOA?

It’s not you. I have had it active on both Teslas since its mass rollout months ago and use it less every day. Like you, I disabled the automatic lane changes, but even find the suggested lane changes to be mostly nonsense.

On the positive side, I do see a bright future for NOA over a relatively short timeline — at least on freeways. I am much less optimistic about how NOA (or even plain autopilot) will work on city streets with stoplights/stop signs and all sorts of pedestrian encounters.

I am really glad we keep our cars a long time. Our AP2.0 S is nearly three years old and our 3 is 20 months old. If we leased cars or flipped them every three or four years, I would be really PO’d about being the proud possessor of FSD software on both cars. Luckily we bought FSD after purchase during the $2000 sale a few months ago, though even that decision is one I have second guessed. (We have the old EAP so we get nothing from FSD.) Advanced Summon won’t be a big deal and autopilot on the streets figures to be “interesting” every time our cars encounter stoplights, especially stoplights transitioning from green to yellow to red. Hopefully no one will tailgate our FSD-equipped cars!

 

[Darscot]

I only use NOA in the evening on the highway, with even slightly moderate traffic its detrimental. There are so many obvious and basic programming issues. Currently the car thinks it change lanes in about 50 feet so if the exit is 200 feet away it will cross two lanes to get into far left HOV than immediately start heading back right to exit. Trying to cancel one of these impossible lane changes will just instantly restart because there is no time out. So its just cancel, starting lane change, cancel, starting lane change, cancel... The hilarious part is the car take about 10 times the distance it thinks it needs to actually change lanes so it changes out of the correct lane and misses the exit. They are just way over engineering some really simple things. NOA is probably the most disappointing thing about the car, its laughable bad and gets exponentially worse with traffic.

 

[KenC]

Yeah, takes time to adjust. You did the right thing, turn off some of the settings, and as you get used to them, you can turn them back on.

 

[ecarfan]

The moves from lane to lane when exiting the freeway are also quite sudden & jerky. Hopefully, I'll learn it, or it learns me. Anybody else out there have a challenge getting use to NOA?

I find the NOA lane changes to be amazingly smooth. However, you do need to keep a hand on the wheel and always be alert. NOA is not perfect.

I think you are simply unused to the idea of a car driving itself. Give it time, and always stay aware of surrounding vehicles and be ready to take over.