Speed Dating: Get to know Teslas Autopilot
April 21, 2019 by Kyle Field
Teslas Autopilot has been hailed as the ultimate platform for developing a completely autonomous driving solution. After 8 months of owning our Tesla Model 3, Tesla shrunk the Autopilot package by removing a few features, and at the same time dropping the after-sales price from $ 7,000 for the Enhanced Autopilot to $ 4000 for the new Autopilot package. It felt like the right time to pull the trigger on the update, so we bought on March 1[ads1]st.
The update would come down to the car in 3-5 business days, but there was a problem on the Tesla side that prevented the company from seeing the $ 4,300 payment (with tax). A phone call and some screens confirming payment from my end, resolved the problem and a few days later, without celebrating popup or notice, Autopilot was available in my model 3.
Yes, it came without a red blanket or even a pop-up alert. One day, like everyone else, we went out in model 3 and I noticed putting cruise control on resulted in the blue cruise control bubble, which indicates that traffic adaptive cruise control (TACC) was engaged. The blue color was instead of the usual black cruise control indicator. My ears sat up, and I quickly tried to engage Autosteer, just to find out that it didn't work.
A quick turn in the settings showed that the beta feature was disabled by default and can only be engaged when the vehicle is in Park. A quick pit stop on the side of the road and several quick changes to the Option screen (Settings -> Autopilot) and Autosteer beta were enabled. As with many important occasions in life, it felt as though it should have been more a celebration – in recognition of equalization in life, for the safety improvement that our car had just made to upgrade to the car from the future – but nothing happened. It should be, or could be, more of a celebratory occasion, because the implications (and the purchase price) are great. Retreating from the clouds, retreating to the traffic and starting to play with the system.
As a driver, Autosteer showed that most of its side-to-side tracking was based on lane lines. These are detected and displayed on a 15-inch touch screen, regardless of whether the car has Autopilot installed or not. At the top of the base it stores in objects such as cars, trucks, motorcycles and bikes around the car, and even 2 cars in some cases. The display proved to be a good basis for me to understand what the vehicle looked like and why it could respond to the way it did over management. Elon noted in his recent interview with MIT's Lex Fridman that Tesla developed the customer-secured display to show people what Autopilot saw in a way that is easy to interpret. The screen is not extensive, but it helps break up your mind around what the car looks and what it responds to.
The art of holding hands on the steering wheel when Autosteer makes heavy lifting is not one that can easily be mastered. When Autosteer first took over the control of my car, it was a little scary, as though it was still familiar with the vehicle. To see how my car is almost identical to almost every other Tesla Model 3 out there came as a surprise to me. I expected the solution to have exploited the much-spied fleet and learned that the thousands, if not thousands of Teslas who had already driven my route, would have learned. The car would follow the lines on the road as if they were the letter of the law. When a new lane merged with mine, the car would immediately resume with a sharp, drastic turn. It wasn't soothing, but I hoped and trusted that it would be better.
Give up control
By using Autosteer the first few times, I was probably more nervous than letting the car do most of the driving for me. My body was excited, my grip was firm, and my body was taught, ready to take over at any time. Part of it was valid, but most of it was just my instinctive reaction to letting the car drive itself. After decades of manual driving, driving is not a difficult thing to adjust. It's not natural.
After some trips with Autopilot engaged, I gradually began to realize what the solution did and why. I knew it liked to drive much closer to the right line, and that was fine. It was also much better than I was about to keep a line in the lane and not accidentally drive into the center divider or over a lane. The autopilot also had those eyes on the back of the head that my mother had always threatened me – it was able not only to drive, but to keep one away on the cars around it for the potential bad drivers around me. It alone is far superior to what a human being can possibly do alone and drastically improves vehicle safety.
Learning to drive with Autopilot is engaged as learning to dance with a new partner. It takes some time, as you expect, but when you get used to it, it can be a good thing. There are still a few mistakes. I sometimes take control when I don't need or when it makes a turn that's a little too sudden for me. But we get used to each other, and I'm hopeful about the long-term prospects.
Grip
I have learned to keep an informal but firm hand on the steering wheel, with extra caution used when coming up to mergers, tight paths or transitions. In the weeks following the installation, Autosteer was graciously reached. The first few days were tense, much like driving with a teenager you trust, but only having to learn how to actually use the car that they now have control of. Several days later, it matured into a 20-year-old driver with more experience under his belt. Nevertheless, it has not fully mastered the art of relaxed driving. The car's approaches stopped traffic at a rate that did not contribute to confidence, followed by a rather abrupt stop. When traffic goes back, Autopilot takes its sweet time to get the car rolling, giving a bigger than usual gap from the front car.
Ideally, Autopilot would only run as a "normal" driver, only safer. That's what we all want, and as soon as we learn to let go of money, we can start the process of learning to get rid of it. Tesla's distributed vehicles have already racked up more miles than all the other companies developing autonomous driving technologies combined according to CEO Elon Musk. After talking to Musk on a recent podcast, ARK Invest said that "Tesla vehicles equipped with the first and second generation Autopilot hardware have, for example, collected a cumulative 8 billion miles to date, while Waymo's vehicles had collected about 10 million miles from October 2018. "
It is a fairly important moat that Tesla already uses to sell more electric vehicles, while keeping the air purifier and our roads safer. This latest change in price changes both of these goals, and as such is something to celebrate.
You can listen to CleanTechnik's Zach Shahan speech in lengths with ARK Invest's Tasha Keeney on Tesla Autopilot hardware, Tesla Autopilot software and Elon Musk in the following interview:
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The Future
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is known for his overly optimistic timelines, but as the years go by (as they usually do), Tesla seems to be narrowing down the timeline to distribute the Full Self Driving solution to production . He said at the ARK Invest podcast that the "full-fledged" Full Self Driving solution will be pushed out by the end of 2019, which feels likely. He expected the solution to be completely refined and ready for the owners to "put it and forget it" (my words, not his) by the end of next year. Then, owners can only let the cars drive them to their destinations – provided that regulations permit.
Autopilot has been improved within a few weeks as it is installed on CleanTechnica Tesla Model 3 and every update brings the solution one step closer to the future where I can actually sleep on the way home from the airport instead of to fight to stay awake and on the road. It keeps the promise of making transportation available to those who cannot drive due to physical disabilities, age or intoxication.
From the early developments with Autopilot and from the more obvious progress we have seen in recent weeks, I am hopeful that Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self Driving solutions will actually change the way we get around and even how we live our lives. in the following years. It dreams of new opportunities, of a future that is downloaded to my car, an update at a time.
About the author
Kyle Field I is a technology geek passionate about real ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live on purpose, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.
