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Agreed. I am a big fan of Tesla and I used to make excuses for them on this but I think it’s b.s. they didn’t rename it after the incident where the guy died. C
by ebbv 9y ago
Agreed. I am a big fan of Tesla and I used to make excuses for them on this but I think it’s b.s. they didn’t rename it after the incident where the guy died. Cool marketing names do not outweigh being totally honest and up front.
If I made rat poison that looked like candy and named it “Yummy Candy Rat Poison” and some kid died coz they ate it, I’d deserve some blame regardless of parents keeping poison away from kids.
- hndamien 9y agoIt isn't called full self driving, it is called auto-pilot. In aviation, auto-pilot is a system used to control the trajectory of an aircraft without constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator being required. Autopilots do not replace human operators but assist them in controlling aircraft, allowing them to focus on broader aspects of operations.
- madengr 9y agoThe Tesla autopilot doesn’t work in the air, either: https://carbuzz.com/news/teens-take-tesla-model-s-for-joyride-fly-it-80-feet-and-cause-horrific-crash https://carbuzz.com/news/teens-take-tesla-model-s-for-joyrid...
- yk 9y agoWell context is important, the people who operate planes know exactly what autopilot in a specific plane means, the people who operate cars are generally aware that there are cars.
- hndamien 9y agoTesla state that autopilot will "match speed to traffic conditions, keep within a lane, automatically change lanes without requiring driver input, transition from one freeway to another, exit the freeway when your destination is near, self-park when near a parking spot and be summoned to and from your garage." I believe the problem lies in "Enhanced" and "Full self driving hardware". While this is an important point and is probably true, there should probably be bigger warnings that there is currently no full self driving software, and therefore, no full self driving.
- greglindahl 9y agoTesla has a Level 2 system. People who actually use it see more than just the marketing material you've quoted.
- hndamien 9y agoNot really. I am one of the people that actually use it. They have some warnings for sure, but you should probably note I also wrote the first comment in this thread.
- kalleboo 9y agoThe thing is that almost nobody knows what an Autopilot actually does. Even here on Hacker News you see comments to the effect of "why do we still need pilots, planes take off fly and land by themselves!"
- jsjohnst 9y agoI do not know of a commercial airline autopilot that does taxi / takeoff.
- kalleboo 9y agoThat's my point - the public perception (even among a technical crowd) is way off from the reality. People think an "Autopilot" does way more than it actually does.
- jsjohnst 9y agoI personally don’t agree, people know the pilots have a real role in the plane among even my non-tech friends, but it’s just anecdotal vs your anecdotal so it doesn’t make either of us right or wrong.
- ebbv 9y agoThis is the same argument people use every time, and that Tesla uses. The general public does not know that. It's an irresponsible name for the system and they know it.
- jldugger 9y agoAnd if Telsa required a pilots license to purchase one of their cars, this argument might hold water.
- perl4ever 9y agoI don't think the naming is the problem. No matter what you call it, the fact that it works 99% of the time gives people confidence to continue using it, up until it doesn't work, and then there's no time to react. In a car, you generally have some space and time in front of you, but you usually have no lateral margin of error, and that assymmetry is what makes it different from planes and boats.