Poll: How often do you use AutoPilot?

[Canuck]

My car went in for annual service today. It was picked up from my office and I was left with a 90D (what great service!). So I had to take it out to test out the autopilot. Unfortunately, I found it to be a very nerve racking experience to the extent that I'm wondering why I'm so anxious to upgrade to get it. Those of you who have it, was that your initial experience? And then with more use, were you are able to relax? If so, how long did that process take? Or, do you find that you don't use it at all after testing it out, or do you only use it for long trips? Please answer the poll. I think I need an AP car for a week at least to decide if I like it or not. Just having it for one day isn't long enough to get rid of the jitters. Or maybe even after a week I won't use it? I do really like driving and I'm the kind of person who likes to be in control at all times -- which is why I don't like to fly. It's rare that I'm ever in a car when someone else is driving. So maybe I'm just not suited to AP? Or maybe I haven't given it a fair chance?

 

[nwdiver]

I got a P85D loaner w/ autopilot... I loved it.

 

[Blue Millenium]

I've driven 4,500 miles in my first 6 weeks of ownership and can comfortably commit to 70%+ of my driving has been done by my co-pilot (Tesla). It does take some time to get used to but LOVE the shared driving experience. It will only get better as time goes on but the current beta version is nothing less than fantastic.

 

[kavyboy]

It took me a couple of days to get used to it. That included learning what it realistically can and can't do and what behavior to expect from it. Now I use it pretty much every moment I can. I hope to never own another car without at least the current AP abilities.

 

[Todd Burch]

You start out nervous. After a few weeks, you learn all the ins and outs of when it works, and when it doesn't. What weather and lighting conditions it works well in, and what conditions it's so-so in.

And once you know those, I find you relax significantly.

I use autopilot daily--about 40 of my 75 daily miles are typically on autopilot--mix of highway, urban, and rural driving.

 

[ModelX]

First couple hundred miles I was nervous and took over a lot. Now I use it anytime I am on freeway or highway!

 

[xrayvsn]

I use it daily on my highway portion of the commute (about 20 miles out of 37 each way) and absolutely love it. In fact when I get on the highway I can't wait to engage autopilot and let the car take over. The latest firmware update was the icing on the cake (for me it dramatically reduced the nag feature (I believe that the timer resets now every time you use the turn signal because it only occurs when I happen to be driving in the same lane for an extended period of time now). It seems to learn the tricky portions of the drive within the first couple of tries and now feel confident to let it take over the entire way. Definitely much more relaxing commute and the few times I was in stop and go highway traffic it was absolutely amazing, ending the frustration of constantly braking and inching forward manually.

 

[Barry]

I only use it on trips. For daily driving, I don't really see the point, and it's still so much fun to drive manually.

 

[ICE FREE]

Out of curiosity, Does AP work well on winding country roads or is it specifically for use on freeways? I'm waiting for my new 70D to be delivered next month and my commute is 45 miles each way with a combination of Freeway and 2 lane country roads.

 

[mblakele]

Does AP work well on winding country roads or is it specifically for use on freeways? I'm waiting for my new 70D to be delivered next month and my commute is 45 miles each way with a combination of Freeway and 2 lane country roads.

AP works best on relatively straight, relatively flat freeways with traffic moving at least 18mph and clear lane markers. It works in other scenarios too, but you may see various problems. Personally I only use AP on freeways.

 

[kavyboy]

Out of curiosity, Does AP work well on winding country roads or is it specifically for use on freeways?

I consider it an assist to my driving, and don't consider it as actually doing any driving. As a result, I have AP on almost all the time, and I engage/disengage AP as needed. It's not like you are required to use AP until performing some last-second emergency crash avoidance. It's a thing there to help you drive. It's a double pull of the stalk to engage... effortless. A turn of the wheel to disengage... similarly effortless. So, for country roads, I would engage AP to do a mile or even less because, why not? I have an elbow on the console and a hand on the wheel. I cruise along. I pay attention. I drive. AP helps.

 

[AB4EJ]

I've had my Model S for precisely 1.5 days, and have used Autopilot a lot (especially on the long drive from Marietta showroom to home). A few times it has made some strange moves where I felt compelled to take over control. On one occasion, when I tried to activate it, an error message "Not possible to enable Autopilot at this time!" came up. I have been thinking that maybe there are so few Teslas in Alabama (less than 100 statewide) that I am sometimes taking my car over a road (especially in rural areas) where it is the first time a Tesla has traversed that route, and therefore mapping data is imprecise (this will improve with time). Therefore I drive in the role of a beta tester, where I am collecting data. I wonder: does the car report driver "take-overs" to Tesla HQ so that the driver's corrected path can replace what's in the computer now? (Maybe I'm giving the system more credit than it is due - but I plan to drive all over the state and correct Autopilot whenever it makes a mistake, and will watch to see if it makes the same mistake again. If it doesn't, I will conclude that my "data collection" is adding to corporate knowledge of the roads.)

 

[pdxrajiv]

I wish that TMC polls would have a default "other" option with a details text box so early poll takers can provide additional answers. This would allow early poll takers to provide more nuanced answers, which may allow the poll taker to modify the options to offer later poll takers more nuanced options.
Case in point: I use Autopilot when the traffic is lighter and lane-changing is not needed frequently. None of the current poll options quite capture how I use it.
I can state that it does not make me nervous. That may be because I am a software engineer and understand both the promise as well as the limitations of programmed systems. (hubris? )

 

[Todd Burch]

On one occasion, when I tried to activate it, an error message "Not possible to enable Autopilot at this time!" came up. I have been thinking that maybe there are so few Teslas in Alabama (less than 100 statewide) that I am sometimes taking my car over a road (especially in rural areas) where it is the first time a Tesla has traversed that route, and therefore mapping data is imprecise (this will improve with time).

Has nothing to do with whether other Teslas have driven on that road. I assume you know that the gray steering wheel must be visible before you can activate it. There are a few other reasons why it may be deactivated as well (condensation inside housing, sensor fluke, etc.) but none have to do with whether other Teslas have driven there before.

Therefore I drive in the role of a beta tester, where I am collecting data. I wonder: does the car report driver "take-overs" to Tesla HQ so that the driver's corrected path can replace what's in the computer now? (Maybe I'm giving the system more credit than it is due - but I plan to drive all over the state and correct Autopilot whenever it makes a mistake, and will watch to see if it makes the same mistake again. If it doesn't, I will conclude that my "data collection" is adding to corporate knowledge of the roads.)

Nobody outside Tesla knows for sure, but the general assumption is that Tesla looks at incidents where the driver takes control, probably sorts them by frequency of occurence at a specific location, probably transmits a camera image along with the incident, and that info is used to improve the system for later updates. But as far as anyone can tell, there is no true real-time improving going on. Seems like it's more about a system gathering a lot of data which is then incorporated into the algorithms for future updates.

 

[Canuck]

Thanks for the replies and the poll results. I don't think I gave AP a fair shot. At the same time, I don't feel as sorry for myself for not having it as I did before trying it out.

 

[Mark Z]

...Definitely much more relaxing commute and the few times I was in stop and go highway traffic it was absolutely amazing, ending the frustration of constantly braking and inching forward manually.

Stop and go is so neat. The Tesla doesn't nag at that speed (at least for me) and it gives the driver a rest from busy turnpike speeds. It even works at the Disneyland parking lot when the lines of autos seem endless.

Attention: Stay awake. Do NOT let Autopilot misjudge the protective barriers near the kiosk. Apply the brake and steer manually.
Always watch and brake for pedestrians or parking attendants who may occasionally appear.
Music from Tunein: Seeburg 1000 "Retro" Background Music

 

[Canuck]

Stop and go is so neat. The Tesla doesn't nag at that speed (at least for me) and it gives the driver a rest from busy turnpike speeds. It even works at the Disneyland parking lot when the lines seem endless.

I've only walked from the hotel to Disneyland and I thought the lines were long in the park. Little did I know about the parkade!

 

[Donalee]

My car went in for annual service today. It was picked up from my office and I was left with a 90D (what great service!). So I had to take it out to test out the autopilot. Unfortunately, I found it to be a very nerve racking experience to the extent that I'm wondering why I'm so anxious to upgrade to get it. Those of you who have it, was that your initial experience? And then with more use, were you are able to relax? If so, how long did that process take? Or, do you find that you don't use it at all after testing it out, or do you only use it for long trips? Please answer the poll. I think I need an AP car for a week at least to decide if I like it or not. Just having it for one day isn't long enough to get rid of the jitters. Or maybe even after a week I won't use it? I do really like driving and I'm the kind of person who likes to be in control at all times -- which is why I don't like to fly. It's rare that I'm ever in a car when someone else is driving. So maybe I'm just not suited to AP? Or maybe I haven't given it a fair chance?

I am a new P85D owner and LOVE autopilot - I use to be a control freak - until I realized that That mindset was limiting me in SO many ways. I love autopilot, I truly see it being MORE safe and in control that my own ability to be holding the wheel - lol - I am HUMAN - Auto pilot is using technology and sensors that go above and beyond my capacity to take in all at once. I too love the driving experience - and I still am able to get that with the raw power, control and maneuverability of driving the car before and after using Autopilot. It truly grew on ME fast. I have only had the car 6 weeks.

 

[Electroman]

It only took 2 days to get comfortable. Use it every time, all the time on the highways and sometimes on back roads when the lane markings are good..

 

[TaoJones]

Daily, and whenever possible - even if just for TACC, which is vastly improved this past year.

Note as well the passive AP features (collision avoidance).

In the end, these collectively constitute a safety-related feature set - already shown to reduce collisions by 50% (see Elon's recent tweet). Soon *polite cough* all new cars will have at least TACC, and perhaps other collision avoidance features.

With that said, Autosteer has a long way to go, and AP 2.0 (new hardware) should present a nice leap forward in general. I only wish the new 2.0 hardware would be retrofittable, which is of course doubtful.