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Strange tesla comments in Australia

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Today my Tesla gave me on odd comment. I asked it to navigate to "Handorf Inn". Instead it searched for "under foreskin". WTF!
 
Was buying Nandos on the weekend and this guy was sitting out front. When I was walking back to the car he asks "Is that a Tesla?". Apparently he was looking at it for the last 20 minutes but couldn't work out what it was. Then he goes on about wow I was just reading about them on my phone, massive fan. Then he's like did you know that there is an app you can get to make it park itself without you in the car. I was thinking to myself "Yeah we don't have that in Aus". Then he watched me drive off.

Awesomely enough, Summon is now being rolled out in Australia :D
 
While driving past a school at 40km/h this afternoon (as the students were leaving) a young lad was pointing at my car as I approached, then yelled "OPEN THE DOOR!" as I drove past. :confused:

Perhaps he thought I was in a model X, and that the Falcon wings can be unfurled "in flight"
 
While driving past a school at 40km/h this afternoon (as the students were leaving) a young lad was pointing at my car as I approached, then yelled "OPEN THE DOOR!" as I drove past. :confused:

Perhaps he thought I was in a model X, and that the Falcon wings can be unfurled "in flight"

or perhaps he just wanted a lift in a very cool car?

not that I am suggesting that you should stop and pick up kids from the roadside (unless they are your own of course!)
 
Nissan LEAF has audible ‘augmentation’ that can (at least here in Australia) be switched off at low speeds…go over maybe 30 km/h and it’s always on. It sounds like a high pitched turbine - fairly inoffensive. Obviously Nissan researched extensively to find a sound that was effective yet unobtrusive. Effective? I think so although I’d probably find it intrusive if I couldn’t switch it off. Bottom line: I know I’m driving a silent vehicle so I need drive way more cautiously around pedestrians, especially backing out of driveways.

Electric cars over a certain speed make the same noise as standard cars as the road noise takes over in volume. Try hearing the engine of a ford falcon or a toyota camry at 60 kms/h and you can't, all you hear is the tyres. If it's a loud Harley or suped up V8 different story.

The Leaf noise is unobtrusive and works well to alert people walking carparks, especially vision impaired people, and the beeping reverse I have noticed has stopped a few people from walking behind me when I'm reversing in a carpark. There's a tiny whine at up to about 20 and after that nothing. I have occasionally turned it off in stop start traffic to enjoy the quiet while sitting in the traffic and inching forward at slow speeds for ages (thanks Melbourne roads) and I turn it off when leaving home early sometimes so the reversing beeps don't annoy my family or neighbors. Sure some people are distracted and walk in front of ICE cars but our Electrics are silent and deadly so why not give people a warning. Not just to avoid slamming someone in the leg but also to avoid someone slamming a shopping trolley into your car.

IMHO the noise is a very good safety feature and should be retained as the benefits outweigh the negatives.
 
Electric cars over a certain speed make the same noise as standard cars as the road noise takes over in volume. Try hearing the engine of a ford falcon or a toyota camry at 60 kms/h and you can't, all you hear is the tyres. If it's a loud Harley or suped up V8 different story.

The Leaf noise is unobtrusive and works well to alert people walking carparks, especially vision impaired people, and the beeping reverse I have noticed has stopped a few people from walking behind me when I'm reversing in a carpark. There's a tiny whine at up to about 20 and after that nothing. I have occasionally turned it off in stop start traffic to enjoy the quiet while sitting in the traffic and inching forward at slow speeds for ages (thanks Melbourne roads) and I turn it off when leaving home early sometimes so the reversing beeps don't annoy my family or neighbors. Sure some people are distracted and walk in front of ICE cars but our Electrics are silent and deadly so why not give people a warning. Not just to avoid slamming someone in the leg but also to avoid someone slamming a shopping trolley into your car.

IMHO the noise is a very good safety feature and should be retained as the benefits outweigh the negatives.

Very good points & I agree (except I’m pretty sure I can still hear the LEAF turbine above 20). Apparently Tesla will only add pedestrian safety alerts if required to do so. Elon has said that it should be pleasant directed noise that’s not always on. Must say I’m surprised the over-eager pen pushers in Canberra haven’t required it…yet. Having said that, it’ll probably appear in the next OTA update.
 
You know what - when I walk on a road meant for traffic I make the very simple (stupid) assumption that there could be a car driving on it at some time in the future. Maybe we could erect warning signs rather than making superbly graceful cars emit a warning noise. You know - like - "warning cars could be present". Or maybe ...
 
You know what - when I walk on a road meant for traffic I make the very simple (stupid) assumption that there could be a car driving on it at some time in the future. Maybe we could erect warning signs rather than making superbly graceful cars emit a warning noise. You know - like - "warning cars could be present". Or maybe ...
or WARNING - THIS COFFEE COULD BE HOT!
 
....... some people are distracted and walk in front of ICE cars but our Electrics are silent and deadly.....

How "deadly" are they at the speeds we are talking about (<20km/hr)? I am all for a reasoned discussion about the issue, but it needs to be based on facts not emotional arguments. The question I pose to people trying to enforce noises for all is this "Do you agree that Hybrid cars are normally running on electric at low speeds in car parks etc?" They answer yes "How many people were murdered by a Prius over the past decade?" They normally go quiet and walk off....

The driver needs to take responsibility and assume that people may not have heard the car. Forward visibility is good for the driver and rear via the camera is pretty good for leaving car park spots etc.

Pedestrians also need to take responsibility as DBorn noted. When the car is on the DRLs are on, that is a pretty significant cue that the car might be about to leap out and attack them?
 
It’s funny - a number of people who’ve gone for a drive in my car have said something along the lines “even without an awesome engine sound it’s still a great car to ride in” - of course that means it was their last ride in mine :D


In any case, the Tesla warning sound will probably be a futuristic sine wave harmonic that is pleasing to the majority - at least that’s the hope. Knowing what they do & how they do it at Tesla, it’ll also probably only operate at variable volumes when the camera & sensors detect moving creatures that have the potential to be in harm’s way.