In the 7.1 release notes, Tesla indicates that the car doesn't bias to the side of the lane as much when adjacent to curbs/barriers.
After hundreds of miles on 7.1 autopilot, not only do I find that there isn't an improvement, but it's even worse than 7.0.
Part of my commute involves crossing a 5 mile bridge. This bridge is divided with two wide lanes in each direction and with decent lane markings--so I usually have autopilot on the entire way across. It's straight as an arrow. Adjacent to each lane is a curb leading to a concrete barrier on each side. The barrier is not really close to the side of the lane--there's about a 2 foot space between the edge of the lane and the curb, minimum. Here's a picture of the bridge:
So anyway, when I'm driving on this bridge in the left lane, auto steering biases my car so far to the right side of the lane that it's extremely uncomfortable when there's traffic in the other lane. Not only that, but I frequently find that my right side mirror is actually extending over the lane marking, protroding into the adjacent lane! This isn't just an illusion or my perception. If you look at the toy car graphic, it shows the mirror over the lane marking, and I can also lean my head over to the right and look out the side mirror to see the actual painted centerline--my right mirror clearly extends beyond it! All this, and there's plenty of room to the left of the car in the lane--it's not a narrow lane at all (even though the focal length of the lens used for the image above makes it appear to be narrow).
The only change from 7.0 to 7.1 that I can see is that when passing a car, after it sees the car next to me for a second or so, the car gradually moves slightly to the left to allow a little more space. (It's too late by that time anyway). Then, after passing the car, it moves right back over to the uncomfortable position. And when I say I think 7.1 is worse, it's because when it does move back, it moves back further to the right than it did with 7.0.
This morning, while in stop and go traffic on the bridge, I was stopped with autopilot on. The car in front of me was pretty much centered in the lane, and my S was following him with about half of the S's car width extending beyond the right side of the car in front! WAYYY too much bias to the right.
I mentioned with 7.0 that this bothered me, because it's far more likely that the car to my right will creep over and sideswipe me than it is for that curb or barrier to jump out and hit my car. Moreover, being biased so close to the adjacent car gives very little time to react if autopilot decides to turn right slightly. I think this is among the highest dangers for collision with autopilot. With a curve, at least you know it's coming so you can anticipate that the steering may have issues. But with this bias, there have been cases where the tip of my mirror has passed without about 12-18 inches of the adjacent car. Too close.
At first I thought Tesla was biasing to the right to reduce the potential of a head-on collision from traffic coming the other way on an undivided road, but without a curb or central barrier, the car actually centers evenly in the lane, so just the opposite is what happens--so that can't be the reason.
For me, this is by far the #1 thing that gives me unease using autopilot. Not the TACC, or the lane keeping in general. IMHO those both work exceptionally well. But this lane bias is, I would say, beyond the point of being unsafe. The mirror should NOT be protroding into the adjacent lane.
Anyone else experiencing this? I hope Tesla removes the excessive bias in the next update. It gives me the heebie jeebies!
By the way: This doesn't just happen here. It happens everywhere there's a median with a curb or a concrete barrier adjacent to a lane.
After hundreds of miles on 7.1 autopilot, not only do I find that there isn't an improvement, but it's even worse than 7.0.
Part of my commute involves crossing a 5 mile bridge. This bridge is divided with two wide lanes in each direction and with decent lane markings--so I usually have autopilot on the entire way across. It's straight as an arrow. Adjacent to each lane is a curb leading to a concrete barrier on each side. The barrier is not really close to the side of the lane--there's about a 2 foot space between the edge of the lane and the curb, minimum. Here's a picture of the bridge:
So anyway, when I'm driving on this bridge in the left lane, auto steering biases my car so far to the right side of the lane that it's extremely uncomfortable when there's traffic in the other lane. Not only that, but I frequently find that my right side mirror is actually extending over the lane marking, protroding into the adjacent lane! This isn't just an illusion or my perception. If you look at the toy car graphic, it shows the mirror over the lane marking, and I can also lean my head over to the right and look out the side mirror to see the actual painted centerline--my right mirror clearly extends beyond it! All this, and there's plenty of room to the left of the car in the lane--it's not a narrow lane at all (even though the focal length of the lens used for the image above makes it appear to be narrow).
The only change from 7.0 to 7.1 that I can see is that when passing a car, after it sees the car next to me for a second or so, the car gradually moves slightly to the left to allow a little more space. (It's too late by that time anyway). Then, after passing the car, it moves right back over to the uncomfortable position. And when I say I think 7.1 is worse, it's because when it does move back, it moves back further to the right than it did with 7.0.
This morning, while in stop and go traffic on the bridge, I was stopped with autopilot on. The car in front of me was pretty much centered in the lane, and my S was following him with about half of the S's car width extending beyond the right side of the car in front! WAYYY too much bias to the right.
I mentioned with 7.0 that this bothered me, because it's far more likely that the car to my right will creep over and sideswipe me than it is for that curb or barrier to jump out and hit my car. Moreover, being biased so close to the adjacent car gives very little time to react if autopilot decides to turn right slightly. I think this is among the highest dangers for collision with autopilot. With a curve, at least you know it's coming so you can anticipate that the steering may have issues. But with this bias, there have been cases where the tip of my mirror has passed without about 12-18 inches of the adjacent car. Too close.
At first I thought Tesla was biasing to the right to reduce the potential of a head-on collision from traffic coming the other way on an undivided road, but without a curb or central barrier, the car actually centers evenly in the lane, so just the opposite is what happens--so that can't be the reason.
For me, this is by far the #1 thing that gives me unease using autopilot. Not the TACC, or the lane keeping in general. IMHO those both work exceptionally well. But this lane bias is, I would say, beyond the point of being unsafe. The mirror should NOT be protroding into the adjacent lane.
Anyone else experiencing this? I hope Tesla removes the excessive bias in the next update. It gives me the heebie jeebies!
By the way: This doesn't just happen here. It happens everywhere there's a median with a curb or a concrete barrier adjacent to a lane.
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