Just had a software update and let me say, this new auto pilot sucks!!!!!
The hands on wheel warning pops up every 20 seconds when in cruise control.
It’s annoying as I need to literally put pressure against the wheel with my hand so it really defeats autopilot. To keep it from coming on every 20 seconds.
Also these warnings are creating an increased distraction from watching the road as I need to take my eyes off the road.
I can no longer recommend autopilot to any referrals.
Let’s just call it driver assist now since this is no longer remotely close to autopilot.
I understand tesla is trying to cover their butt with these recent fatalities but I don’t agree with this new update.
I've been seeing this idea being referred to elsewhere, but haven't known what it was from.
My suggestion and experience - the new nag system is no different than the old nag system, at least fo rme and how I use autopilot.
The key is to realize that the system is looking for a twist or torque on the steering wheel as the indicator that you are present and attentive. So hands off the steering wheel, or resting your hand(s) in your lap with a light touch on the wheel will not provide that resistance (or anything at all on a straight away), and the nag will go off regularly (whether 20s, 1 mile, or some other period).
The key is to keep one hand on the wheel (as the system tells you to do anyway) by resting one hand on the steering wheel cross piece (so 3 or 9 o'clock on the wheel, rather than 6). For me, I rest my left elbow on the driver's door armrest, and my left hand has a finger hooked over the left side of the steering wheel at 9 o'clock. I adjust the steering wheel, and the driver's seat up/down, forward/backward, to find a combination that makes this comfortable (I'm also blessed with long arms that makes that easier for me).
With this method, the flashing white "hands on the wheel" nag didn't come up before the recent patch, and it doesnt come up after the recent patch. I regularly make a 90 minute drive between houses and autopilot is a godsend for that - the new AP behavior is just as good as the previous version (and I like the car silhouettes in neighboring lanes - I hope that's a precursor to signalling lane changes on 4 lane country highways, such as the one I am mostly driving on
).
The weight of hand plus arm resting on the wheel is enough to provide the torque that says "I'm here", while being less than the torque needed to break out of lane keeping. And that makes it easy for me to drive more strategically - watching the road and cars ahead and trying to spot possible problems before they develop.
The AP system as currently constituted and delivered, is not a self driving / autonomous system. We, the drivers, are expected to remain fully engaged at all times. The system is designed to create and reinforce this expectation by testing for feedback from the wheel on a continuous basis, to test for our presence.