Question about autopilot

[DionG]

With the autopilot that comes standard now, will it swerve out of the lane to avoid an accident or is that only full self drive feature?

 

[Puddles]

I have yet to see anything that indicates that AP will swerve out of a lane intentionally for any reason. I see no reason why features more limited than AP would do so either.

There is a fellow on YouTube who showed his car veering outside of a painted lane to miss a cone, but I would propose that the AI redefined its lane based on the cone, rather than engaging any avoidance logic.

If you think about it, if things are going pear-shaped, you want the simplest possible response strategy (and one that immediately reduces the system’s kinetic energy). So far I have only seen hard braking in response to sudden condition changes. AI capable of avoidance would be super complex. It may exist someday, but I don’t think it’s in the cards now.

 

[Dre78]

I'd hope it's included as safety feature but I don't know.

Unverified, but many claim AP swerving to avoid collision.

 

[drtimhill]

I have yet to see anything that indicates that AP will swerve out of a lane intentionally for any reason. I see no reason why features more limited than AP would do so either.

There is a fellow on YouTube who showed his car veering outside of a painted lane to miss a cone, but I would propose that the AI redefined its lane based on the cone, rather than engaging any avoidance logic.

If you think about it, if things are going pear-shaped, you want the simplest possible response strategy (and one that immediately reduces the system’s kinetic energy). So far I have only seen hard braking in response to sudden condition changes. AI capable of avoidance would be super complex. It may exist someday, but I don’t think it’s in the cards now.

Most studies I've seen (and my apologies for not quoting one right now, I'm time limited) basically say that for human drivers swerving is (generally) a bad strategy since (a) it often just increases the blast radius by involving other cars, (b) it increases the chances of losing control of the car contributing to the accident severity, (c) car safety systems (belts, air bags, crush zones) are most effective in head-on collisions.

The safest strategy, as the poster notes, is to brake hard, and only swerve if you really know how to control the car (very few ppl outside pro drivers know how to handle a car in these conditions). So I suspect it will be a long time before we ever see AP type systems swerving to avoid accidents. Braking like crazy, yes. Minor steering to avoid side swiping, yes.

 

[DionG]

In my civic the anti lock brakes prevent braking like crazy. In situations were you have to stomp on the brakes more then likely your gonna collide because of the anti lock brakes will release for a bit then reapply and so on.. under the heat of the moment in that situation most would turn. Are Tesla’s brakes configured like that to release and reapply if you Mash on the brakes??

 

[Puddles]

I'd hope it's included as safety feature but I don't know.

Unverified, but many claim AP swerving to avoid collision.

Many do claim it, but none show real time screen shots to corroborate the claims. I fear the motivation to harvest clicks may compromise their interest in being truthful. The duck video is one that is especially hard to believe.

I suppose if you have never driven a Tesla, you could be susceptible to these claims, but we know better, don’t we.

 

[Puddles]

In my civic the anti lock brakes prevent braking like crazy. In situations were you have to stomp on the brakes more then likely your gonna collide because of the anti lock brakes will release for a bit then reapply and so on.. under the heat of the moment in that situation most would turn. Are Tesla’s brakes configured like that to release and reapply if you Mash on the brakes??

I’m not trying to be mean, but where do you get your information? And why aren’t you saying “look at these people claiming antilock brakes result in longer stopping distances despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary?” It has been over 20 years since antilock brakes have become common, and the advice from day one has always been “if you need them, mash them. Let them do their job. They will do it better than you can.”

Modern antilock brakes modulate many times a second. On top of that, Teslas have accelerometers that help determine which wheel to control, individually, for maximum control.

 

[holmgang]

In my civic the anti lock brakes prevent braking like crazy. In situations were you have to stomp on the brakes more then likely your gonna collide because of the anti lock brakes will release for a bit then reapply and so on.. under the heat of the moment in that situation most would turn. Are Tesla’s brakes configured like that to release and reapply if you Mash on the brakes??

unless your ABS system is faulty, it is likely more effective at shortening the distance than you yourself can.
and if you feel it is going crazy and disallowing you to slow down, it is probably because your tires dont have good grip - ABS releases when it senses slip - not because it is overzealous.

although the main purpose of ABS isnt to shorten distance, it is to maintain some level of grip so you can steer safely.

and Tesla's brakes funciton the same way, because ABS is mandatory in all new vehicles

 

[drtimhill]

In my civic the anti lock brakes prevent braking like crazy. In situations were you have to stomp on the brakes more then likely your gonna collide because of the anti lock brakes will release for a bit then reapply and so on.. under the heat of the moment in that situation most would turn. Are Tesla’s brakes configured like that to release and reapply if you Mash on the brakes??

Anti-locks brakes decrease stopping distance, not increase it! What would be the point in that? Yes, they increase maneuverability, but they are primarily to help the car stop faster, particularly in slippery conditions. If wheels stop rotating and start skidding (lock), the braking efficiency of the wheel goes way down (because slipping tires cannot absorb the inertial energy of the car as fast as the brake pads), increasing stopping distance. So ABS detects this and releases the brakes briefly to let the wheels re-grip and maximize braking effectiveness.

Before ABS was present, you were taught to "pump" the brakes manually to avoid wheel lock and minimize stop distance in an emergency. With ABS, you can now slam on the brakes and let the ABS figure out the optimal way to stop the car (and it will always be better than even a good driver could do with manual brake modulation).

 

[Phlier]

Anti-locks brakes decrease stopping distance, not increase it! What would be the point in that? Yes, they increase maneuverability, but they are primarily to help the car stop faster, particularly in slippery conditions. If wheels stop rotating and start skidding (lock), the braking efficiency of the wheel goes way down (because slipping tires cannot absorb the inertial energy of the car as fast as the brake pads), increasing stopping distance. So ABS detects this and releases the brakes briefly to let the wheels re-grip and maximize braking effectiveness.

Before ABS was present, you were taught to "pump" the brakes manually to avoid wheel lock and minimize stop distance in an emergency. With ABS, you can now slam on the brakes and let the ABS figure out the optimal way to stop the car (and it will always be better than even a good driver could do with manual brake modulation).

I underlined the important part of that post.

 

[Puddles]

Dion, you have a few posts, and I want you to feel welcome here, if indeed you’re asking serious questions. But I have to say my troll alert is flaring up. You’ve been given good advice, and I hope you take it, and examine why it is so different from the beliefs you seem to hold.

 

[drtimhill]

Dion, you have a few posts, and I want you to feel welcome here, if indeed you’re asking serious questions. But I have to say my troll alert is flaring up. You’ve been given good advice, and I hope you take it, and examine why it is so different from the beliefs you seem to hold.

+1000 on being welcome. My post was not to score points or be mean ... i was concerned that people might hesitate on braking in an emergency when they should not. I hope no-one here EVER had to face such a thing, but if you do, hit the brakes hard and let the car figure out the rest.

 

[DionG]

It’s serious questions. I have never been in a Tesla, and I have a billion and one questions. I’m a software developer so I always like to try to fully understand as mush as possible before I do anything
So I’m more or less just tried to glean all the info I can since the only experience I have is watching videos from YouTube and never sure how much is truth and how much is a little exaggeration. Armed with a years worth of that I ordered the 3 awd, and plan to order my wife a y come summer. With so much info and different opinions it’s harder and harder to know exactly what’s right at least when it comes to videos on YouTube, hence why I came here to see if I can glean some answers.

 

[Puddles]

It’s serious questions. I have never been in a Tesla, and I have a billion and one questions. I’m a software developer so I always like to try to fully understand as mush as possible before I do anything
So I’m more or less just tried to glean all the info I can since the only experience I have is watching videos from YouTube and never sure how much is truth and how much is a little exaggeration. Armed with a years worth of that I ordered the 3 awd, and plan to order my wife a y come summer. With so much info and different opinions it’s harder and harder to know exactly what’s right at least when it comes to videos on YouTube, hence why I came here to see if I can glean some answers.

Right on man! You’ll love your cars (assuming you survive the delivery experience ) and before long you’ll be leaving Civics in another time zone.