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Tesla need to stop calling it 'Autopilot'. The name implies drivers don't need to drive and is most likely a big reason drivers are lured into a false sense of

by Dwolb 9y ago

Tesla need to stop calling it 'Autopilot'. The name implies drivers don't need to drive and is most likely a big reason drivers are lured into a false sense of security.

greglindahl 9y ago
Is there any evidence that the name is the problem?
DavidAdams 9y ago
Volvo's messaging is less reckless than Tesla's. They call their similar feature "Pilot assist." It's also always been stricter about trying to make sure the driver is engaged when it's enabled. As a Volvo owner, I'll admit I find it annoying at times, but I think it's also helped drill into me that I shouldn't trust Pilot Asssist not to drive me into a barrier. It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though.
- eertami 9y ago
  >It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though. I hate to be sanctimonious at people online but this is how people get killed. Is it not illegal to do this where you live? In the UK you'd be half way to losing your license if you got caught touching a phone while driving (and lose it instantly if within the first 2 years of becoming a qualified driver). You just said it yourself, you can't trust it, so don't play with your phone while driving, lane assist or not.
  - Twisell 9y ago
    He didn’t mentioned a phone however... it’s 2018 people that can afford that type of car must have podcast friendly onboard entertainement. Which is as dangerous as radio fiddling but not illegal.
- brewdad 9y ago
  I have a Volvo as well and it is annoying when the dashboard goes nuts warning of impending doom when experience tells me that the vehicle/obstacle ahead isn't actually an issue. That said, it has saved my bacon at least once at an unfamiliar highway exit in rush hour when traffic went from 40mph to a dead stop almost immediately. Lane assist has also led me to be much better about always signaling lane changes lest the steering try to fight me.
  - greglindahl 9y ago
    How is this different from other cars?
- dingo_bat 9y ago
  > It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though. That's exactly what the tesla driver must have thought too. Right until the auto pilot steered directly into a barrier. Volvo S's system may be better, but any lapse in attention can lead to the type of crash we are discussing about.
Ryudas 9y ago
I find this argument so often. Autopilot has never been a term for autonomous, just as its used in aviation. Just because people don't know the proper term or have an erroneous idea of the term, doesn't mean tesla has to have the burden of people misinterpreting what it says.
- danso 9y ago
  Do you believe Tesla bears the burden of maintaining its own homepage? tesla.com/autopilot currently has "Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Cars" as its top headline and has had that for awhile now.
  - Rychard 9y ago
    Well, they do have the hardware, that isn't the issue. The cars simply lack the software to enable a fully autonomous vehicle. The phrasing indicates that if/when the software becomes available, the car would be theoretically capable of driving itself. It's just a typical misleading marketing blurb; nothing more.
    - danso 9y ago
      Yes, it is the issue because no one has achieved full self-driving yet so Tesla simply has no idea what hardware may be required to achieve that level of functionality in real-world situations. But that wasn't the line of argument I was making. The parent commenter said this about people misunderstanding the term "autopilot" > Just because people don't know the proper term or have an erroneous idea of the term, doesn't mean tesla has to have the burden of people misinterpreting what it says. Seems like people might be mistaken because the phrase "Full Self-Driving" is literally the first thing on the official Tesla Autopilot page.
    - dragonwriter 9y ago
      > Well, they do have the hardware They don't actually know that they have hardware for full autonomy till they have a fully working hardware/software autonomy system; what they have is hardware that they hope will support full autonomy, and a willingness to present hopes as facts for marketing purposes.
robertAngst 9y ago
Ive fallen out of love with Elon. Hes a big talker and a bigger cult leader. His fans will believe the news.
Gustomaximus 9y ago
I wonder if Tesla decided they want to own the term 'autopilot' at a short term expense, forcing other manufacturers to use less obvious names down the track. Cause it seems strange they would stick with a term that could encourage lawsuits and frivolous behaviour by drivers.

by Dwolb 9y ago

Tesla need to stop calling it 'Autopilot'. The name implies drivers don't need to drive and is most likely a big reason drivers are lured into a false sense of security.

greglindahl 9y ago

Is there any evidence that the name is the problem?

DavidAdams 9y ago

Volvo's messaging is less reckless than Tesla's. They call their similar feature "Pilot assist." It's also always been stricter about trying to make sure the driver is engaged when it's enabled. As a Volvo owner, I'll admit I find it annoying at times, but I think it's also helped drill into me that I shouldn't trust Pilot Asssist not to drive me into a barrier. It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though.

eertami 9y ago
>It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though. I hate to be sanctimonious at people online but this is how people get killed. Is it not illegal to do this where you live? In the UK you'd be half way to losing your license if you got caught touching a phone while driving (and lose it instantly if within the first 2 years of becoming a qualified driver). You just said it yourself, you can't trust it, so don't play with your phone while driving, lane assist or not.
- Twisell 9y ago
  He didn’t mentioned a phone however... it’s 2018 people that can afford that type of car must have podcast friendly onboard entertainement. Which is as dangerous as radio fiddling but not illegal.
brewdad 9y ago
I have a Volvo as well and it is annoying when the dashboard goes nuts warning of impending doom when experience tells me that the vehicle/obstacle ahead isn't actually an issue. That said, it has saved my bacon at least once at an unfamiliar highway exit in rush hour when traffic went from 40mph to a dead stop almost immediately. Lane assist has also led me to be much better about always signaling lane changes lest the steering try to fight me.
- greglindahl 9y ago
  How is this different from other cars?
dingo_bat 9y ago
> It's amazing at keeping me in my lane when I'm fiddling with my podcast feed though. That's exactly what the tesla driver must have thought too. Right until the auto pilot steered directly into a barrier. Volvo S's system may be better, but any lapse in attention can lead to the type of crash we are discussing about.

Ryudas 9y ago

I find this argument so often. Autopilot has never been a term for autonomous, just as its used in aviation. Just because people don't know the proper term or have an erroneous idea of the term, doesn't mean tesla has to have the burden of people misinterpreting what it says.

danso 9y ago
Do you believe Tesla bears the burden of maintaining its own homepage? tesla.com/autopilot currently has "Full Self-Driving Hardware on All Cars" as its top headline and has had that for awhile now.
- Rychard 9y ago
  Well, they do have the hardware, that isn't the issue. The cars simply lack the software to enable a fully autonomous vehicle. The phrasing indicates that if/when the software becomes available, the car would be theoretically capable of driving itself. It's just a typical misleading marketing blurb; nothing more.
  - danso 9y ago
    Yes, it is the issue because no one has achieved full self-driving yet so Tesla simply has no idea what hardware may be required to achieve that level of functionality in real-world situations. But that wasn't the line of argument I was making. The parent commenter said this about people misunderstanding the term "autopilot" > Just because people don't know the proper term or have an erroneous idea of the term, doesn't mean tesla has to have the burden of people misinterpreting what it says. Seems like people might be mistaken because the phrase "Full Self-Driving" is literally the first thing on the official Tesla Autopilot page.
  - dragonwriter 9y ago
    > Well, they do have the hardware They don't actually know that they have hardware for full autonomy till they have a fully working hardware/software autonomy system; what they have is hardware that they hope will support full autonomy, and a willingness to present hopes as facts for marketing purposes.

robertAngst 9y ago

Ive fallen out of love with Elon. Hes a big talker and a bigger cult leader. His fans will believe the news.

Gustomaximus 9y ago

I wonder if Tesla decided they want to own the term 'autopilot' at a short term expense, forcing other manufacturers to use less obvious names down the track. Cause it seems strange they would stick with a term that could encourage lawsuits and frivolous behaviour by drivers.