Road trip reflections on NOA--Roadtrip

[Big John]

I just completed a 1000 mile road trip from So Cal to Grass Valley (Nor Cal). I took I5 north and 99 south. Are are my reflections (2019.12.1.1) :

1. I have a 2017 AP 2.0, MCU ver 1 model X. The AP driving experience is light years more advanced than when I first purchased the MX. OVERALL the driving experience was excellent. I finished the trip rested and impressed.
2. Too polite—Sometimes in traffic merge situations AP brakes suddenly to let a car merge in from an onramp when it would be more comfortable to maintain speed and let the merging traffic flow in behind me. Expectations are that it is the responsibility of the entering traffic to adjust their speed to the traffic already on the freeway.
3. Too Rude—There were numerous times when it moved into a passing lane to get around a slow vehicle and pulled in front of cars in the fast lane forcing them to slow down. I would normally wait for them to pass before entering the passing lane.
4. Too much lane changing. On CA freeways each lane has its own traffic flow (when not congested). I drive at the speed limit plus 8 or 9. The far left lane generally moves at +10 and the middle lane +5. AP was constantly passing slower cars and then immediately returning to the +5 lane instead of cruising in the +10 lane when clear. So I was constantly passing, returning to slower lane, slowing down for traffic and then passing. I would say that I changed lanes 3X as often as I would if I were driving. It did the lane changing well but too (and unnecessarily) often.
5. Negotiating freeway interchanges and keeping on route was flawless and truly impressive. On numerous interchanges in the Sacramento area NOA got me on the right road perfectly. I did no thinking—just monitored and the MX weaved through the confusing/complex Sacramento freeway system with amazing anticipation and skill. Blown away.
6. VERY Safe—The blind spot monitoring and 360 awareness was far better Tham my head on a swivel. AP frequently waited, sped up, and canceled passing when it noticed a sketchy situation. I actually felt safer and had faith that AP was watching out for me.

Though some of the above issues will need to improve the overall experience was impressive. I was worried that relying on AP would make me drowsy (I made the trip back from 5PM to 3AM) but I found just the opposite. Sensing the steering changes kept me relaxed and engaged. It was fascinating yet comfortable and I always felt fresh and alert. AND I really appreciate the dual screens on the MX. If they take that away on future models it will be a step down.

 

[RRM998]

Nice report. My experiences in Houston have been very similar. I've been saying that NOA is timid yet rude when changing lanes in traffic.

I recently drove to Dallas and back and NOA is really shines in that situation.

 

[CARam]

I haven't taken it on a road trip yet but have driven 2k miles in the last 6 weeks of owning my new MX.

I am novice and not totally convinced yet that I can switch to NoA as my recent tries have always resulted in me taking over for the following reasons within minutes of enabling NoA. The one reason I could think of is that MX can get confused when certain navigation settings are changed while driving or when one is on NoA already. (e.g enabling use of HOV lane)

1. On day 2 of getting my car, after familiarizing myself with many of the car's features including AP tried NoA on I405. MX failed to identify or avoid cones placed ahead of the lane closure. I realize now that is a situation that warrants the driver to totally take over
2. Another time I was driving on NoA using I405N to Newport Blvd, which required several lane changes to exit I55S ramp. While it did lane changes without any interaction (I had set it to change without driver's confirmation), my MX terribly missed the exit, but still indicated to shift right and was braking heavy on the slow lane on I405N (even after passing the exit by 100+ ft) until I took over and continued to drive ahead to find alternative path without hindering the traffic behind me.
3. As late as last week, I tried to drive up the I405N to Redondo beach using HOV lane. I was curious when the navigation pointed out that it needed to turn left to stay on I405N course, however it started indicating and moved to the lane marked I55N so I had to take over and steered it on I405N.

While the TACC, AP and NoA could all be handy to a tired driver, they don't necessarily relieve one from the required level of alertness. I am sure Tesla FSD engineers will bring out the best in the future and the situation may drastically change but for now, I seem to enjoy driving my style so I can avoid potholes, debris on the road, adjust my speed in alignment with the traffic or congestion and regenerate energy rather than wasting by braking.

I am sure everyone has their own experience and perception

 

[DCGOO]

I haven't taken it on a road trip yet but have driven 2k miles in the last 6 weeks of owning my new MX.

I am novice and not totally convinced yet that I can switch to NoA as my recent tries have always resulted in me taking over for the following reasons within minutes of enabling NoA. The one reason I could think of is that MX can get confused when certain navigation settings are changed while driving or when one is on NoA already. (e.g enabling use of HOV lane)

1. On day 2 of getting my car, after familiarizing myself with many of the car's features including AP tried NoA on I405. MX failed to identify or avoid cones placed ahead of the lane closure. I realize now that is a situation that warrants the driver to totally take over
2. Another time I was driving on NoA using I405N to Newport Blvd, which required several lane changes to exit I55S ramp. While it did lane changes without any interaction (I had set it to change without driver's confirmation), my MX terribly missed the exit, but still indicated to shift right and was braking heavy on the slow lane on I405N (even after passing the exit by 100+ ft) until I took over and continued to drive ahead to find alternative path without hindering the traffic behind me.
3. As late as last week, I tried to drive up the I405N to Redondo beach using HOV lane. I was curious when the navigation pointed out that it needed to turn left to stay on I405N course, however it started indicating and moved to the lane marked I55N so I had to take over and steered it on I405N.

While the TACC, AP and NoA could all be handy to a tired driver, they don't necessarily relieve one from the required level of alertness. I am sure Tesla FSD engineers will bring out the best in the future and the situation may drastically change but for now, I seem to enjoy driving my style so I can avoid potholes, debris on the road, adjust my speed in alignment with the traffic or congestion and regenerate energy rather than wasting by braking.

I am sure everyone has their own experience and perception

I would recommend a road trip. You need to get out more

NoA and Navigation in general, on highways and roads that you know very well is not exactly fair, especially in urban, likely congested traffic. I found that I *always* knew better on roads I drove regularly. NoA really shines on truly rural Interstates, which i don’t think includes the 405 in SoCal.

We do not have HOV lanes in my area, but a recent trip through Atlanta revealed a frustration (for me anyway). Whenever I turned on Use HOV, the car insisted on using that lane, even if it was not the fastest. Of course turning it off, the car refused to use the HOV lane. I wish there was an in between mode that Allowed HOV, but did not insist on it.

In construction, just turn it off, especially if there is any ambiguity. Many construction zones are identified automatically and NoA will likely be disabled, but Autopilot is much less reliable in construction, if the lanes narrow, the margin for error is reduced. Best if you just shut it off completely.

Remaining alert is absolutely required. What Autopilot and NoA provide is a general reduction in driver workload, so it can reduce the tiring effect brought on by driving. But if you are already tired, AP and NoA will not make you less tired. Maybe it is time to stop.

But keep trying to use it. But it is not always required, nor even desirable. It’s a tool in the toolbox.

 

[mbp11]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and for the first 4-6 months owning the July 2018 MX, I was TERRIFIED

 

[mbp11]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and for the first 4-6 months owning the July 2018 MX, I was TERRIFIED to use the autopilot and autodrive. When I finally got braver, I used it late at night when the freeways were empty, and would run it for a few miles and then panic and turn it off. If there were any cars around, I would turn it off. I gradually used it more and more and it seems to have gotten smarter. Now I know that it is learning from the "neural net" and it is learning from the roads I drive. It does a very good job driving me home, I do not use it on surface streets because I understand the limitations that it has- it likes having lines on either side and sometimes a car to follow. I have been taking it on a two lane road here in the Bay Area (highway 84 Niles Canyon Road) and letting it drive itself while watching it and it was pretty rough at first, but it is getting better and better with the curves and undercrossings and knowing when to slow down for curves. It also helps to have a car in front of me. It does a pretty good job, but I am watching it all of the time and I agree, it lessens the stress of driving.

It still chokes on some roads, like the highway interchange 580 westbound to 680 northbound, where there are two lanes turning right (north) and halfway through the turn it panics and asks me to take over... so that is going to take some training. But all of the driving you are doing with autopilot I hope will help me drive in your path in the future! I hope!

Mike P

 

[CARam]

But all of the driving you are doing with autopilot I hope will help me drive in your path in the future! I hope!

You may be right, mbp11. On local roads, I noticed it struggled to find the lane markings in a larger junction the first day and asked me to take over. The next day it did jiggle a bit but managed to cross the junction!