Colonel Panic wrote:riverrock wrote:From what I hear, its a gimmick that you end up having to be more alert using that you are when driving normally...
It might work on an empty freeway but it doesn't work well enough anywhere else to be relied upon.
Agree 100% with the sentiments, but the video I linked to above it was far from an "empty" freeway!
Just to be clear, I'm not guessing or extrapolating from reviews, or expressing my own misconceptions or preconceptions.
I tried it myself, first hand on a round trip commute between J15 and J12 of the M4. Journeys were at my usual time - 0810 outbound, 1730 return. You cannot safely leave it unattended for any amount of time at all. It is extremely nerve wracking, and far less relaxing than just driving yourself.
Now I'm absolutely not a neophyte when it comes to this stuff - I rely extensively on the automation my current car has, and I'm certainly not a luddite. But I just didn't feel safe or comfortable, so what's the point?
It just didn't react to developing scenarios with any kind of 'humanity' for want of a better word. I had to positively intervene at least a dozen times on both legs of the trip including a couple of times that were positively dangerous.
For now, I'm happy to stick with a decent adaptive cruise control and manage the steering myself. It will have to get a damn site cleverer than it is now before I'll be happy with it.
I just don't think the Tesla has enough sensors. You look at the Waymo cars etc, and they have huge LIDAR units and all sorts of stuff. The Tesla just has pretty much the same suite of sensors that any current German car has. I can't see how it can perform miracles no matter how clever the software.