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Pentium2004
Former Vendor
You are correct. The last time I tried them it was night time and raining but the only time they worked was when I passed under a street light.
I love it..Why Tesla pursued non rain sensor auto-wipers?
Not because it is easy, but because it is hard!
12Pack
Member
I know you were just kidding, but as you know, its not your see eyes that "see" the rain etc. It's the combination of the signal your eye sends and how your brain interprets it. You could say its really the your brain that sees the rain - and that's what needs tuning in the AP2 case.
So, in conclusion, the rain in Spain stays mostly on the brain.....
I think it's awesome what Tesla is doing, pushing the envelope by accomplishing old tasks with new things (vision based autowipers in this case), but so far, it's been a poor implementation. Yes, I know it's beta, but having only 2 levels of sensitivity adjustment is a poor idea. I find the autowipers to be inconsistent - sometimes they're overzealous, sometimes they don't wipe often enough. And the comments about nighttime driving is very true, and I wonder how they plan on solving that. It's hard enough to detect water on the windshield with what is likely fixed focal length cameras. Add to it that they are small camera sensors which have poor night time visibility anyway, and detecting rain in the dark becomes even harder.
Derek Kessler
Active Member
That Tesla provides release notes at all is an aberration in the automotive industry.
Derek Kessler
Active Member
For all the comments on the fixed focal length — you are correct. Though we don't know the focus distance, it's safe to assume it's at least a few feet out, whereas the windshield glass is much closer. As long as the water isn't illuminated or hugely distorting the image, the cameras might not even realize it's there.
It's like wearing glasses. There is always something — dust, fingerprints, hair, etc — on my lenses. Always. But my eyes can't focus that close, and normally I'm focused on stuff a few to several feet away. Even if I try to focus on the glass and the debris on it, I can't. I'm still able to see quite clearly even with slightly dirty lenses. Only when its very dirty or a harsh light source (like the sun) directly hits the lenses is the dust illuminated enough to appreciably diminish my vision.
Same for the Autopilot cameras and sensing rain in the dark — the cameras are focused far ahead of the windshield and without any strong light directly striking the water on the glass there's not much to actually mess with the vision. I haven't tried driving in a heavy rain in the dark yet, though I hope the distortion from too much water in the dark would be enough to trigger the wipers.
It's like wearing glasses. There is always something — dust, fingerprints, hair, etc — on my lenses. Always. But my eyes can't focus that close, and normally I'm focused on stuff a few to several feet away. Even if I try to focus on the glass and the debris on it, I can't. I'm still able to see quite clearly even with slightly dirty lenses. Only when its very dirty or a harsh light source (like the sun) directly hits the lenses is the dust illuminated enough to appreciably diminish my vision.
Same for the Autopilot cameras and sensing rain in the dark — the cameras are focused far ahead of the windshield and without any strong light directly striking the water on the glass there's not much to actually mess with the vision. I haven't tried driving in a heavy rain in the dark yet, though I hope the distortion from too much water in the dark would be enough to trigger the wipers.
And how many of those automobile manufacturers are delivering products in beta form? So you’re saying we’re lucky they provide release notes? That they are somehow going above and beyond by doing so?
Derek Kessler
Active Member
Beta is the price of living on the cutting edge. You make the choice whether or not to buy the vehicle that offers beta features, and Tesla gives you the option not to use the beta features. You have to choose to pay for Autopilot, you can turn off the automatic wipers, etc.
Do I think it's ridiculous that it took a year to deliver a 20-year-old feature to the most high-tech car on the planet and it's still marked as "beta"? Yes, totally.
But yes, we're lucky that Tesla is as communicative as they are. They could do better, yes (as could every company on the planet), but it could also be much, much worse.
That might have been true a year ago but the Leaf has a better level 2 than Tesla now.
Derek Kessler
Active Member
FlyingCookie
Member
Pretty sure the cutting edge of the knife also gets removed over time as the knife gets sharpened again.
Just like that material being removed as the knife is sharpened, as Tesla and everyone’s software and hardware gets better, things that used to be the cutting edge will fade away over time.
whitex
Well-Known Member
I think once you get left behind, your are no longer considered "on cutting edge". It's like saying that Model T is on a cutting edge of technology today, just because it was back in 1908.
But when I bought my car and was promised those items, I was not informed they would take another year and be “beta” when they did show up. I was told they’d be rolled out by 12/31/2016. I was never told I would be buying a car with “beta” features. Maybe it should say that on the contract, on the website, and during the sales process.
I don’t want to have to turn off the auto wipers because they’re “beta” and don’t work correctly in the rain at night (which we found out for ourselves because they didn’t want to warn us and take any negative PR). I want what they committed to me when they sold me the car. And it’s not just the wipers we’re waiting for.
If I ran my company like this, I’d be out of business. One competition comes (and it is coming), Tesla either needs to change its ways on these things or they’ll be out of business.
JHWJR
Member
Not because it is easy, but because it is hard!
You have to say it right. "Nawt becawse it is easy, bot because it is hawd."
Probably the same reason that the Model 3 doesn't appear to have a light sensor in the rear view mirror to control the dimming feature on the mirrors. Tesla thought they could do better using cameras.
In the case of the mirror dimming that is probably really true, sense a lot of people tint their back window so dark that the auto-dimming mirrors don't work at all. Of course it appears that they don't have it working yet...
In the case of the mirror dimming that is probably really true, sense a lot of people tint their back window so dark that the auto-dimming mirrors don't work at all. Of course it appears that they don't have it working yet...
Abqnative
Member
I got the beta auto-wiper update a couple of weeks ago. The auto-wipers work well so far with light rain. They even work in the parking lot, when I go from Park to Drive. I am waiting for a heavy rain to see if they move from intermittent to steady.
However, twice now, the wipers come on when I go into my garage. There is no rain there (once on a dry day) so the software is being fooled by what it sees.
I either have to switch the wiper off or go from Drive to Park to stop it. Has anyone had "false" starts? Resetting the knob to activate auto on does not restart the wiper again. The glass is not covered with road film and should not be fooled.
However, twice now, the wipers come on when I go into my garage. There is no rain there (once on a dry day) so the software is being fooled by what it sees.
I either have to switch the wiper off or go from Drive to Park to stop it. Has anyone had "false" starts? Resetting the knob to activate auto on does not restart the wiper again. The glass is not covered with road film and should not be fooled.
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