Who cares what the car does under controlled conditions? I'm sure the manufacturer did exactly that in their testing. Even when they test on public roads, there's a hands-off safety driver behind the wheel, who is paid to be on the lookout and sufficiently alert to take over in case of an unexpected excursion. (Unless the self-driving car under test is from Uber, in which case the safety driver simply watches video on their phone. Too soon?)

This is nowhere near how these cars are used in the real world. The real world is not a set of "controlled conditions", so any comfort one builds up in such a situation is merely a false sense of security.

> [...] where you feel comfortable before closing yourself off completely.

So, here's the thing: I'm comfortable driving myself. I don't get distracted, I use good judgment, I consistently prioritize the safety of my vehicle's occupants over everything else. I know exactly how flawed self-driving cars are, and how far behind the curve of my driving skill they will remain within my lifespan. That's the sum total of everything I need to know, and no amount of "controlled conditions" demos will change my mind.

P.S.: If you're from the future and you're reading this because I got mowed down by a self-driving car: ha ha! Joke's on me.

Maybe not today, not tommorrow, but maybe six months in the future when the weather and road conditions happen to be just precisely right to confuse the system at just the most dangerous time.

In the meantime I will just read/watch the stories of people more trusting than me about how well the technology works, and currently those stories don't fill me with confidence.

IMO, this is currently dangerous technology that should not be allowed on the road at all.

Common-sense tells me that these half-self-driving systems are dangerous.

I would like to see a study that tested the reaction times of a person who sits doing nothing for a hour and then is suddenly expected to take evasive maneuvers, versus a sober - or even a drunk - driver who is actually driving the car continuously.

Then have an opinion, otherwise it’s like reading about NYC and saying you hate it because you read the reviews.

Of course I can have an opinion without going for a ride in one, and that opinion is that I don't trust it and I won't "experience it".

It's far more janky and susceptible to confusion than Tesla makes it out to be in its marketing, and the reality is that people simply do not pay as much attention as they are required to when using it because Tesla has convinced them it's magic that's safer than anything else on the road.

I have a Tesla, I usually use autopilot for highway traffic only, summon it like a valet to where I am in my parking lot, and not have to idle in hot and cold weather.

I agree, I wouldn’t use it for local roads and unclear highways, but isn’t this what they tell you? I don’t think they ever tell you that it’s full self driving right now. Also, I’ve experienced it being janky but over time it’s improved dramatically.

As a car and efficiency enthusiast, I totally try to keep my gasoline powered car from idling unnecessarily.

But what does "idling" mean in the context of a 100% electric car?

It can drive by itself from where it's parked to where you are?

From your description, I was thinking more of something like waiting at the entrance to a public carpark and the car comes to you.

This is called smart summon. It can turn, reverse. It’s not perfect and if you know it’s limitations you can manipulate it so that it works 99.999% of the time