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Why does the navigation always want to go via the highway?

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by Tom Russ, Jan 15, 2021.

  1. Tom Russ

    Tom Russ Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2019
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    Hi,

    I own a model 3 from September 2019, and I love driving it. I drive around 50.000 Km/year, half of them for work and the other half private. In our spare time we like to drive all over the place to go hiking or visiting cities. but somehow my Model 3 always want to drive via the highway (even if this is a much longer drive). is this a American thing? Most of these trips we would like to take the scenic route. But somehow this option is not available. In the past I used to drive a Audi A6, and here I could select several different option on how the car should plan the route, like "fastest" , "shortest" or a combination of both. most of the time it even offered me 2 or 3 option to choose from.
    I hope Tesla creates this option for their navigation systems in the future.
     
  2. UncertainTimes

    Joined:
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    “Coming soon”
     
    • Funny x 3
  3. afadeev

    afadeev Member

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    No, it's a Tesla thing.
    Tesla uses Google maps for road availability and traffic inputs, but seams to have its own routing logic.
    That logic appears to have a bias for plotting routs along the path of Superchargers, among other things.

    For local commutes, I find the same frustrating pattern - being directed towards highways, when back roads are quicker and more scenic.
    Consequently, I either disregard Tesla's preferred nav directions (and it will adjust after I insist on driving my preferred roads), or fire up Google Maps on my phone, and work off that.

    Agreed.
     
    • Like x 1
  4. DopeGhoti

    DopeGhoti Active Member

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    I do miss my old Prius' navigation which always offered me the three options of "Fastest", "Shortest", and "Presumably-most-energy-efficient" routes.
     
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  5. TomT

    TomT Technical Maven

    Joined:
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    Location:
    NE Georgia
    We just use Google Maps on our Android phone. Once we have ignored Tesla's route and are established on the route we want, the Tesla will eventually change over to that route. Ironically, the route that Tesla wants to take to a location we often go to is 60 miles longer each way and would require a Supercharger stop that our back route does not.
     
    • Like x 1
  6. flyingowl

    flyingowl Member

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    ...usually if I try to go through normal roads around here every traffic light I hit is red!!
     
  7. one2many

    one2many Member

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    They still sell paper maps, used by millions or maybe not.
     
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  8. flyingowl

    flyingowl Member

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  9. Tom Russ

    Tom Russ Member

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    haha, that's what I also do, but sometimes I'm afraid I'll get a bad reputation with my Model 3 ....haha

    I called my car "Shelly" aka Sheldon Cooper, as it is highly intelligent, but socially incompetent :D
     
    • Funny x 4
  10. tintinfish

    tintinfish Member

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    Location:
    San Diego
    I think the navigation just picks the first route that Google Maps suggests, and Google Maps usually suggests the fastest route, which is mostly highways.
    But I agree that the navigation should offer multiple routes like Google Maps.
     
    • Like x 3
  11. jerry33

    jerry33 (S85-3/2/13 traded in) X LR: F2611##-3/27/20

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    I believe it's set to always take the fastest route (sometimes what the Nav thinks is fastest isn't). I've had it route me off highway when there has been an accident or something other road blockage.
     
  12. wws

    wws Member

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  13. Knightshade

    Knightshade Well-Known Member

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    Teslas nav does not use google maps for anything except the base map and satellite view.

    Navigation, routing, and traffic are done by other parties.
     
    • Informative x 1
  14. lolder

    lolder Member

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    I think you can create a route on your phone or tablet and send it to the car.
     
  15. Tom Russ

    Tom Russ Member

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    As far as I know, you can only select a destination on google maps, which you can send to your Tesla. The Tesla navigation than calculates the route from your location to that destination
     
    • Like x 1
  16. Cybr.Myk

    Cybr.Myk Member

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    Do they really still sell those?
     
  17. one2many

    one2many Member

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    Yep, really old school. Being a ex-leaf driver and having the charging stations
    drawn on my hands, using a navi was more of a well waste of time.
    Now I enjoy driving a 100 miles out of my way for a beer. Why in the name
    of Jack and coke would anyone want the shortest route. Sorry it happy hour,
    gota run.
     
    • Like x 1
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  18. Tom Russ

    Tom Russ Member

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    yeah, i also like old fashion roadmaps, especially because i so often disagree with the navigation systems:D
     
  19. skygraff

    skygraff Member

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    Messages:
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    Location:
    Chicago
    Old fashioned roadmaps are a saving grace when out of cell coverage (national parks in US) or when the mothership has a hiccup. Sure wish the onboard computer could buffer the map info at least as far as your destination (or range).

    As for Tesla routing, it does build off-highway courses when they’ll be faster (haven’t tried changing the reroute if saving x time while driving to see if it’ll change things on the fly) but, recently, I saw it go back to a highway route it had been avoiding for days then even routed me to drive away from destination and double back just to stay on the highway rather than use the previously good surface route. I ignored it and took its old surface suggestion which took the same amount of time as the estimated highway path.

    Ultimately, would love to have more options before navigating as well as the standard nav concept of 3 choices. Of course, that will be out with the oft asked for waypoint/multi-segment capability (not to mention no-charging-at-destination and/or need-to-make-short-trips-after-arrival planning).
     
  20. CharleyBC

    CharleyBC Active Member

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    Talent, OR
    I wouldn't say it's an American thing. We live in the US and at times I've been surprised when the car picks a non-highway route, where I would have taken the freeway. And when I look at the Tesla route, I usually see that it's clever--cutting off some overhead distance getting to and from the freeway. Other times it definitely chooses the freeway, but again, it seems to make sense.

    Now, having said that, like many others, I wish it would offer alternate routes, or a way to drag the route like you can do in Google Maps on a computer. Sometimes I'd like to go the scenic way even if it's slower. For now the work-around is to navigate to some point on your scenic route to force the issue, and then navigate again from there. Not ideal.
     

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