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I agree. People here will cite the aviation term not refering to autonomous flying, but if you ask a regular person in the street, they think that Tesla's are
by dm319 6y ago
I agree. People here will cite the aviation term not refering to autonomous flying, but if you ask a regular person in the street, they think that Tesla's are self-driving. This is a dangerous belief that is held by a lot of people and needs to change. However, Tesla knows this adds an intriguing cachet to the brand, so they seem reluctant to downplay it.
- freerobby 6y agoIt doesn't matter what a "regular person in the street" thinks, from a safety standpoint. What matters is what Tesla owners think (i.e. the people driving the cars). Are they fooled by the term? Search around on TMC, /r/teslamotors, or any other owners group, and you'll find it's pretty universally understood. Additionally, the car reminds you of its limitations every time you use it. And it disables if it doesn't detect torque on the steering wheel, or weight in your seat, or the seatbelt clipped in. I understand how someone could be mislead by marketing early in the buying process. But by the time you get to operating the vehicle, it is borderline impossible to use Autopilot and still believe it requires no human attention.
- kube-system 6y agoNot sure that these guys are in the reddit demographic... but regardless, Tesla intends their cars to be a mass-market product. Peer pressure is a thing, and many of the people who buy these cars are showing them off to their friends who are eager to see the "autopilot" in action. When people are given conflicting information, they'll believe the story they want to believe. ("that fine print is just stuff the lawyers put in there") While drivers have the ultimate responsibility for sure, the situation this perception has created is foreseeable. https://abc7ny.com/amp/tesla-crash-houston-fatal-car-autopilot/10525981/ https://abc7ny.com/amp/tesla-crash-houston-fatal-car-autopil... > two men who were found dead inside the car had dropped off their wives at a nearby home and told them they were going to take the 2019 Tesla S class for a test ride. > The man, ages 59 and 69, had been talking about the features on the car before they left.
- wrycoder 6y agoDisables if it doesn't detect torque on the steering wheel Are you sure? What if the driver had a heart attack? Wouldn't the responsible thing for the car to do would be to slow down, steer off the road and park? And then notify the authorities?
- ikrenji 6y agoidk about notification but otherwise thats what it does, it slows down and stops :D
- labcomputer 6y agoDo you feel the same way about Ford's "Copilot 360"? Surely everyone agrees that a "copilot" is more capable than an "autopilot"...
- legolas2412 6y agoOnly one car manufacturer's CEO and fanboys speak about how technologically advanced it is and how driverless cars have been here since 2016.
- asddubs 6y agoi mean the word copilot does imply that there is another pilot
- labcomputer 6y agoExactly, copilot implies to me that I can get up and go use the restroom while the "copilot" is driving for me.
- ineedasername 6y agoThe big difference between car drivers w/ "autopilot" and airline pilots with autopilot is that the airline pilots have massively increased training requirements, regular re-certification, and physical fitness requirements. Even if plane vs automobile autopilots are equivalent in functionality, the difference in operator training is separated by multiple orders of magnitude. Not to mention the frequent presence of a second pilot in commercial airlines and a dedicated ATF crew on the ground to monitor their situation.