pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
this is why LG is literally in the billion dollar hot seat right now with GM
this is why LG is literally in the billion dollar hot seat right now with GM
wwkirk
Divine
Said not to have been on autopilot.
Florida driver plows Tesla into house, killing 2 people
Florida driver plows Tesla into house, killing 2 people
AD1184
Celestial
One aspect of Tesla vehicles that is heavily marketed is their lethal rate of acceleration. In the wrong hands, and to a far greater extent than an ordinary internal combustion engined vehicle, a Tesla or similar electric car is a weapon liable to injure its occupants and other road users (or people sitting in their own houses, as above). Tesla's current most modestly priced vehicle, the Model 3, advertises a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds, and that is the first figure that appears on its webpage on the official British version of the Tesla website.
Model 3 | Tesla
In the late internal combustion era, the only production vehicles with rates of acceleration like this were extremely expensive 'supercars' made by the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and the like, but now Tesla has made it possible in what is supposed to be an ordinary family saloon car.
nivek
As Above So Below
Thats a good point, normal drivers aren't used to having a car that accelerates like a race car, it wouldn't take much to loose control during rapid acceleration if someone isn't used to handling a vehicle with power like that...
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nivek
As Above So Below
Tesla owners can now choose 'full self-driving' software at the press of a button for the first time: Thousands could soon hit the road with the unregulated features
Owners of Tesla vehicles are now able to activate 'Full Self-Driving (FSD)' software following its release early on Saturday, much to the horror of regulators who claim it to be both unregulated and largely untested.
Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tesla drivers would be able to request a 'beta' version of its software starting Friday. but only those rated as 'good drivers' by Tesla's insurance calculator would be able to use the system.
Owners will need to agree to have their driving monitored and only when their driving is deemed to be 'good' over a seven-day period, will 'beta access will be granted.'
But the software comes all the while federal vehicle safety authorities are investigating the car maker for possible safety defects following a series of crashes into parked emergency vehicles.
Tesla sparked controversy by testing the unfinished technology to 2,000 people since October on public roads, but Musk claims there have been no accidents with the beta users.
'FSD beta system at times can seem so good that vigilance isn't necessary, but it is. Also, any beta user who isn't super careful will get booted,' Musk tweeted.
The beta offers features allowing vehicles to navigate and change lanes on city streets and enabling left and right turns.
Tesla has said the FSB beta even warns drivers that it 'may do the wrong thing at the worst time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel.'
(More on the link)
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Standingstones
Celestial
I seem to have read about a Tesla Autopilot crash involving two passengers. The fire department had to call Tesla because they couldn’t put out the fire from the burning battery. The fire burned for two days straight and both people died. No thank you on autopilot cars.
nivek
As Above So Below
Granny with a grudge: Tesla's onboard cameras capture elderly woman repeatedly keying car in Louisiana parking lot after she lost out on the spot
Amanda Aubin, the Tesla's owner, parked the car in Baton Rouge and when she returned 45 minutes later, she found several scracthes and 'pretty deep cuts.' Minutes before the incident, Aubin and the woman who keyed the car were aiming for the same parking spot, but Aubin was the one who got it. She said the repair cost was $7,650. Aubin has since filed a report with police.
Amanda Aubin, the Tesla's owner, parked the car in Baton Rouge and when she returned 45 minutes later, she found several scracthes and 'pretty deep cuts.' Minutes before the incident, Aubin and the woman who keyed the car were aiming for the same parking spot, but Aubin was the one who got it. She said the repair cost was $7,650. Aubin has since filed a report with police.
Double Nought Spy
Celestial
What is that loon on about? I don't see what he thinks are "six cigar shaped UFOs". Then again, he makes his "peer" Greer look sane.
AD1184
Celestial
I have some questions about this. This appears to be in the USA, given that the driver states their speed in mph, and they are driving on the right side of the road. The only country in the world with this combination to my knowledge is the USA.
I thought that the national speed limit in the USA was 65 mph. If in Autopilot, why is the vehicle going at a speed faster than this? I seem to recall that in one of the early Autopilot deaths, the car was going faster than 80 mph and accelerating at the point of impact.
In Britain, we drive on the left. On multi-lane roads, we have a 'keep left' rule meaning you should stay in the left lane unless overtaking (not always followed by humans, but I would think that it would be mandated in any autonomous driving system). Is there not a similar 'keep right' rule in the US? If so, why is the Autopilot system keeping the vehicle in the middle lane? The right lane does not appear to be an exit on this stretch of road. Or is the Tesla not sophisticated enough to make a lane choice? Musk has been claiming--falsely--that his cars are 'close to level 5' automation, when in reality they are only level 2, but from all the hype surrounding Tesla's self-driving I would have thought at least that they would be able to choose a lane on a three-lane highway.
The Twitter user mentions that he has ordered a replacement Model Y, which is Tesla's latest SUV. Presumably the vehicle involved in the collision is also a Model Y. It reveals an issue with SUVs: their tendency to roll over due to higher centre of gravity. They do not offer enhanced safety, but compromise on both occupant and pedestrian safety. The safer option is the sedan.
pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
I spent many years on the road in service trucks. State police agencies patrol the interstates and their interest generally is to keep traffic flowing during commute times. There are stretches of road where you can exceed the posted limit by maybe 10 mph and they will ignore you. Do it during a non-commute time and you will be part of their quota.
A car pulled over causes a slight disruption in the flow. Tap your brakes in heavy enough traffic due to a roadside whatever and five miles back cars will slow to a stop. Seen it many times.
No fancy autopilot but I was once traveling 70 -75mph in the left lane in a very heavy commute corridor at maybe 7 am. Two lanes in each direction with a 50 yard wide grass median. Out of the blue I got rear ended with such force it knocked off my hat and sunglasses and forced my heavily loaded 3/4 ton van right into that grass strip. I was largely a spectator at that point and really thought I was going to go into opposite side and get creamed. I got my truck back onto the highway the better part of a mile away. The troopers got to me and later told me they estimated he was going over 100 mph. He lived, they fixed my truck. The interstate was shut down for hours.
A car pulled over causes a slight disruption in the flow. Tap your brakes in heavy enough traffic due to a roadside whatever and five miles back cars will slow to a stop. Seen it many times.
No fancy autopilot but I was once traveling 70 -75mph in the left lane in a very heavy commute corridor at maybe 7 am. Two lanes in each direction with a 50 yard wide grass median. Out of the blue I got rear ended with such force it knocked off my hat and sunglasses and forced my heavily loaded 3/4 ton van right into that grass strip. I was largely a spectator at that point and really thought I was going to go into opposite side and get creamed. I got my truck back onto the highway the better part of a mile away. The troopers got to me and later told me they estimated he was going over 100 mph. He lived, they fixed my truck. The interstate was shut down for hours.
nivek
As Above So Below
I have assumed if using Autopilot or FSD (full self driving) modes on Tesla vehicles that the vehicle would stay at or under the posted speed of any given road, and/or perhaps the human driver can set a maximum speed for the autonomous software...
However it appears the Autopilot can govern it's own speed by comparing the speeds of the surrounding cars:
We do have a keep right rule on federal highways and state roads and there are posted signs dtating 'slow traffic keep right' and all trucks also are to keep to the right unless passing another vehicle...Federal highways typically have a posted speed of 65 mph and state roads have a posted speed of 55 mph...I usually drive about 5 mph over the posted speed whenever it's safe and clear to do so on any given road and never had a speeding ticket...I have driven up to 15 mph over the posted speed on federal highways when the road was clear enough or if I was within a group of cars in the left lanes going at a higher speed and I'm following the flow of traffic...I rarely break that 15 mph threshhold over the posted speed...
My commute to work takes me first on a 2 lane county road with a posted speed of 55 mph which I regularly drive at about 60 mph if possible, then I get on a 4 lane state road with a posted speed of 55 mph which I regularly drive at 60-65 mph by following the flow of traffic that is also driving at that speed...I still stay to the right whenever possible as there are some cars driving faster than that and will pass me even though I'm already 10 mph over the posted speed...
I would assume Tesla has their Autopilot and FSD modes programmed to stay to the right lanes but I couldn't find any information yet on that but it appears the autonomous driving software can change lanes on its own if that feature is enabled:
The quotes above came from this site:
Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability
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Double Nought Spy
Celestial
The Interstates in these parts typically have a speed limit of 75 in open country. Lots of traffic runs at 80 or above, even heavy traffic. There is little margin for error in that situation.