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They shouldn't be allowed to call it 'autopilot', and it should automatically (and very visibly/audibly) disable itself the second a driver takes his or her han

They shouldn't be allowed to call it 'autopilot', and it should automatically (and very visibly/audibly) disable itself the second a driver takes his or her hands off the steering wheel. Why? Because apparently there are people out there who believe this is true autopilot and will move their attention elsewhere when flying down the road at 74mph.

dmode 9y ago
Tesla has significantly reduced the nudge to put your hands on the wheel. I would hate it if they forced to keep my hands on the wheel all the time. There are many situations (stop and go traffic, miles of freeway with no one around) where it doesn't make sense to continually hold your wheel.
- craftyguy 9y ago
  Ok, maybe that suggestion was a bit drastic since you do make a good point about being able take your hands off while stopped, but there should be all sorts of bells/whistles/lights going off if you take your hands off the steering wheel while at speed.
  - dmode 9y ago
    The nudge is pretty prominent as the whole instrument cluster beeps. It also punishes you if you ignore the warnings by disabling autopilot (I think after 3 tries).
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
erhw45uhy3 9y ago
Yep, calling it autopilot and then having marketing videos showing Musk without his hands on the wheel comes off as disingenuous to me because whenever any incident happens, they point to the disclaimer stating that your hands are never supposed to be off the wheel.
- dmix 9y ago
  Purchasing the car is an information intensive process, there are many opportunities to educate the consumer besides seeing a marketing video, for example: before checkout process, post-purchase communication, before you using the feature the tablet can have a mandatory information session, persistent reminders later during day-to-day use, etc, etc. Negligence is already something the courts are well suited to handle. Tesla already has a big incentive to do this well. I don't think they are necessarily negligent here for having marketing material which doesn't 100% cover real world usage. If that was ALL the information customers received I would...but I highly doubt that's the case. I also take issue with the autopilot name as well, but I do think it's something that can be effectively communicated elsewhere with a product like this - where it really isn't that big of a deal. It is not a large barrier to communicate the immature state of the software and the limited current use-cases to each buyer beforehand regardless of branding.
  - bobbygoodlatte 9y ago
    Some people buy them used too...
  - forgottenpass 9y ago
    but I do think it's something that can be effectively communicated elsewhere with a product like this If Tesla is over-promising and under delivering their relative advances in autonomous driving as a sales tactic, then there is little defense of Tesla if drivers don't read enough fine print to understand the limitations of the autonomous driving systems. In my assessment, Tesla is not being honest about capabilities. If they were, they'd have used the naming strategy that comes up with "adaptive cruise control," not "autopilot." (Sidebar: I don't care what "autopilot" actually means, the general public thinks it means computer magic makes a plane all by itself.) Having misleading branding and marketing materials that show the CEO operating the product in an unsafe manner convey a message to viewer on how seriously to take the warning. They're giving the impression that the disclaimer is "under-cooked meats can carry food borne illness" on restaurant menus. The "don't try this at home" cover-your-ass warning while winking to try it at home.
nbanks 9y ago
Since an autopilot in an aircraft will not avoid a mid-air collision, this doesn't seem like an inappropriate term. Tesla's autopilot maintains a heading and speed, just like an aircraft autopilot, and usually behaves better in irregular circumstances.

dmode 9y ago

Tesla has significantly reduced the nudge to put your hands on the wheel. I would hate it if they forced to keep my hands on the wheel all the time. There are many situations (stop and go traffic, miles of freeway with no one around) where it doesn't make sense to continually hold your wheel.

craftyguy 9y ago
Ok, maybe that suggestion was a bit drastic since you do make a good point about being able take your hands off while stopped, but there should be all sorts of bells/whistles/lights going off if you take your hands off the steering wheel while at speed.
- dmode 9y ago
  The nudge is pretty prominent as the whole instrument cluster beeps. It also punishes you if you ignore the warnings by disabling autopilot (I think after 3 tries).
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

erhw45uhy3 9y ago

Yep, calling it autopilot and then having marketing videos showing Musk without his hands on the wheel comes off as disingenuous to me because whenever any incident happens, they point to the disclaimer stating that your hands are never supposed to be off the wheel.

dmix 9y ago
Purchasing the car is an information intensive process, there are many opportunities to educate the consumer besides seeing a marketing video, for example: before checkout process, post-purchase communication, before you using the feature the tablet can have a mandatory information session, persistent reminders later during day-to-day use, etc, etc. Negligence is already something the courts are well suited to handle. Tesla already has a big incentive to do this well. I don't think they are necessarily negligent here for having marketing material which doesn't 100% cover real world usage. If that was ALL the information customers received I would...but I highly doubt that's the case. I also take issue with the autopilot name as well, but I do think it's something that can be effectively communicated elsewhere with a product like this - where it really isn't that big of a deal. It is not a large barrier to communicate the immature state of the software and the limited current use-cases to each buyer beforehand regardless of branding.
- bobbygoodlatte 9y ago
  Some people buy them used too...
- forgottenpass 9y ago
  but I do think it's something that can be effectively communicated elsewhere with a product like this If Tesla is over-promising and under delivering their relative advances in autonomous driving as a sales tactic, then there is little defense of Tesla if drivers don't read enough fine print to understand the limitations of the autonomous driving systems. In my assessment, Tesla is not being honest about capabilities. If they were, they'd have used the naming strategy that comes up with "adaptive cruise control," not "autopilot." (Sidebar: I don't care what "autopilot" actually means, the general public thinks it means computer magic makes a plane all by itself.) Having misleading branding and marketing materials that show the CEO operating the product in an unsafe manner convey a message to viewer on how seriously to take the warning. They're giving the impression that the disclaimer is "under-cooked meats can carry food borne illness" on restaurant menus. The "don't try this at home" cover-your-ass warning while winking to try it at home.

nbanks 9y ago

Since an autopilot in an aircraft will not avoid a mid-air collision, this doesn't seem like an inappropriate term. Tesla's autopilot maintains a heading and speed, just like an aircraft autopilot, and usually behaves better in irregular circumstances.