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Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by wedn3sday on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @12:47PM (#37225335)
Ive had the FSD beta for about a month now and never once has it gotten me anywhere without a disengagement, and has several times very nearly caused a crash. I know its anecdata but from all the youtube videos and press I was really expecting it to at least be half-way decent. At the moment its absolute rubbish and should not be allowed on the roads.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by honeybadger1 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:38PM (#37226084)
I have had both experiences. It has literally taken me all the way from Miami to Atlanta at least 6 times without issue and basically only disengaging when there is heavy road work spots and then I turn it back on. I have also used it to go from Miami to Key West 3 times back and fourth with almost no interaction other than road work situations.

That being said, when I visited areas with very little road traffic like in central Florida or in country areas in Georgia, it is very hesitant and I can only assume because of the lack of training data. Simple things like left turns become overly hesitant or it goes into a middle turning lane thinking it's a new lane because the lines are rough or non-existent.

I love using it for long trips, it has changed my quality of life when it comes to driving. I simply do not agree calling it 'rubbish' is fair at all and really is a gross oversimplification of it's faults in situations.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by rvnx on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:41PM (#37226132)
If you want to try something different for long roads, you can take a look at Mercedes cars.

Not only they are very comfortable and reliable for such, but also the manufacturer takes the legal responsibility when level 3 mode is activated, whereas if you use a Tesla, it is always your responsibility.

Means a lot.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by honeybadger1 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:43PM (#37226161)
You presume too much on what I currently own and have owned. Tesla's software is far superior even with its weaknesses.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by hcazz on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:56PM (#37226349)
Not going to assume what you have and haven't owned before, but your statement here is objectively false:

>Tesla's software is far superior even with its weaknesses.

https://www.engadget.com/mercedes-becomes-the-first-automake...

If Tesla's software was objectively better, why couldn't they get L3 approval in California?

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by rvnx on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:09PM (#37226518)
In general, Tesla has tons of capabilities, it's like a bleeding-edge toy that can handle lot of urban scenarios.

This YouTube channel shows a lot of real-life experience (in the US, because in Europe it cannot do much):

https://www.youtube.com/c/AIDRIVR

The concern is more about all the boring scenarios / basic safety features like highways, pedestrian detection, etc.

It is a bit suspicious that Tesla systematically rejects the fault on the driver

(and that is something where I think Tesla should improve).

It's a great car though, but it sometimes gives a strong feeling of highly experimental / unstable platform

rather than a super safe car where you'd want to bring your wife and kids.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by belltaco on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:37PM (#37227556)
Mercedes L3 has significant limitations.

It works only on highways, only in daylight, only when there's a lot of traffic, only under 40mph. Tesla's software does not have those limitations, so yes, it's objectively far superior than a glorified 'follow the car in front and do what it does' simple software that Mercedes is pushing.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by honeybadger1 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:13PM (#37227941)
He or she does not care so I don't even bother. I have already discovered here that people hate Elon therefore hate everything under his eye regardless of the facts around the successes of Tesla's engineering teams that have nothing to do with his personal politics or viewpoints.

This is fine, I enjoy my car and since I am the highest authority of myself, I do not need their validation of my personal experiences I have first hand.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by hcazz on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @05:13PM (#37228605)
https://www.sae.org/blog/sae-j3016-update

With Tesla's Autopilot, you are driving the vehicle.

With Mercedes new L3 system (which I'm going to assume you haven't ever used, since it isn't available yet on a vehicle for purchase), the vehicle is driving.

This isn't about Elon, it's about the capabilities of the vehicle you're sitting in. You're also ignoring TFA -- if Tesla's Autopilot is the best thing on the market, why are they asking officials to redact information on whether or not someone got into accidents while using it?

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by hcazz on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @05:23PM (#37228707)
Yeah, there are significant limitations to camera based systems. Although for Mercedes, I'd argue it's significantly more than:

>'follow the car in front and do what it does'

which is describing adaptive cruise control/radar based cruise control which has been on the market in vehicles for over two decades.

>Tesla's software does not have those limitations

Recklessly enabling a half baked vision only autopilot doesn't mean it's "superior". There's a reason actual self driving car companies (Cruise, Waymo, etc) report disengagements per mile as a means to show how "self driving" their vehicles actually are.

Until Tesla self-reports this data, it's nothing but a toy, and I wish folks the best who actually trust their life with it. [0]

>Officially, Telsa describes Autopilot as "an SAE Level 2 driving automation system designed to support and assist the driver in performing the driving task," as cited by NHTSA. Autopilot is not an autonomous driving technology, but the new numbers suggest people are treating it that way, sometimes resulting in tragedy.

[0] - https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44185487/report-tesla-aut...

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by benatkin on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:56PM (#37226358)
Easy to prod and be assured of a fan bias
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by belltaco on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:34PM (#37227512)
> but also the manufacturer takes the legal responsibility when level 3 mode is activated

Source? It turns out that was just marketing material from what I have read and they don't actually indemnify you.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by Kirby64 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:43PM (#37227620)
For long road trips mainly on the highway, I don't think the Mercedes tech is particularly helpful. Their level 3 solution is only level 3 when it's below 40 mph and during the day. Most road trips (at least in the US) are highway >50mph.

It seems much more useful for city commuting where < 40 mph is much more common.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by esalman on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:59PM (#37226404)
If you use trains for long trips it will change your QoL even more.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by benatkin on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:09PM (#37226523)
There was a train to Key West long ago. Now there is just the one highway. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Railroad
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by esalman on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:34PM (#37227516)
Interesting. We actually saw the rail lines when we visited Key West.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by ProjectArcturis on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:20PM (#37226642)
You didn't say which direction QoL would change, so I guess this is technically correct.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by esalman on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @03:30PM (#37227467)
Only in America will people crap on public transportation, at their own expense.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by ProjectArcturis on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:16PM (#37227979)
I guess you're welcome to take the 44-hour train from Chicago to Los Angeles if you want. Most folks will just fly there in a few hours.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by anaganisk on Wednesday August 23, 2023 @01:43AM (#37232254)
What kind of a comparison is that, lol. Argument is Car vs Train not the Plane vs Train. Trains are always better than a car for the same distance planned.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by jwestbury on Wednesday August 23, 2023 @03:47AM (#37232973)
This still really depends on locale. Don't get me wrong here, I love trains. I'm currently living in the UK, and we're taking the Eurostar to Amsterdam next month instead of flying, even though it's more expensive and slower. And when I was in the US, I took Amtrak from Seattle to New York.

But the reality is, trains are less flexible and generally slower than driving in the US. They may reduce stress, and they're definitely safer, but the trade-offs mean they aren't objectively better. For instance, Amtrak from Seattle to Portland is about 3.5 hours, and this is one of the fastest-traveling routes in the US (except the Acela); meanwhile, driving is a shorter journey on a good day, though it could be five hours or more on a bad day. Still, Amtrak is known for its delays, and there's travel to the station. When I lived in Seattle, Amtrak would probably take me around 5 hours, on average, door-to-door, whereas driving would still be about 3.5 hours on a good day, because I could start from home and go directly to my destination.

And, once you're at your destination, you have more options with a car. From Portland, I could drive out to Multnomah Falls; there are no good public transit options for that.

I wish trains in the US were better... but they aren't.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by esalman on Thursday August 24, 2023 @04:28PM (#37254137)
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by vecinu on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:30PM (#37225981)
I wish I could find the other HN comments from the last few years but I have seen your exact comment from different people over the last 2 years.

Why has nothing changed? If so many people are having problems, how is Tesla allowed to continue?

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by gataca on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:45PM (#37226193)
Between controlling all manned US space flights and all communications allowing Ukraine to fight against Russia, Musk has a lot of influence and gov't doesn't want to ruffle any boats.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by mrguyorama on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:04PM (#37226465)
This isn't really special to Musk. Feds have been largely hands off businesses for decades, basically jesus take the wheel is federal regulatory policy.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by kappi on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:20PM (#37225848)
Instead of Tesla trying FSD with vision only, they should try with more sensors and charge more for the extra hardware. They cannot beat laws of physics by just using vision.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by endisneigh on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:23PM (#37225884)
Though I agree with your point, i don’t think it’s impossible to do full self driving with vision and an intelligent agent only.

that being said as far as I know the cameras they’re using aren’t good enough

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by gruturo on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:34PM (#37226029)
It may not be impossible, but it may well be feasible only a good 5-15 years after it's successfully implemented with the assistance of LIDAR (or other technologies).

LIDAR won't read the posted speed limit, it will only see the shape of the post. But it won't be blinded by reflections, it will never confuse the side of a truck with the sky, it won't miss an object or hole on the road due to poor contrast, etc. It's becoming very affordable, too.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by endisneigh on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:40PM (#37226104)
You can be an excellent driver even if you’re occasionally confused and blinded, etc. in my opinion the reason it doesn’t work today with vision is that it turns out more intelligence than musk thinks is required if you’re only using vision
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by pzo on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:57PM (#37226374)
also probably current cameras are not as great as human eyes - humans eyes are superior even to latest iphones pro. You still have to think about when taking photo e.g. Is the back lightning (sun) too aggressive ? Even HDR not always helps and all those processing still takes like ~1sec or more - with car driving at 100km/h you have to do such processing at 60fps minimum
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by nier on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:00PM (#37226410)
When I think back to the situations where I was blinded as a driver, I remember being able to help myself by blocking out the sun with my hand. This simple physical countermeasure is something that vision hardware currently cannot perform.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by gruturo on Wednesday August 23, 2023 @06:53AM (#37234066)
I agree with you, and, furthermore: Why handicap yourself when there's an alternative? It used to be completely unaffordable for a mass produced sedan, so I could understand that, but 10 years later things have changed, and insisting on vision-only reeks of stubbornness and stupidity at this point.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by mrguyorama on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:07PM (#37226497)
The "cameras" will never be good enough because the eyeball isn't a camera and has way more info to work with than just a 2D array of colors.

For example, your brain has way better depth info than just parallax in most cases, as it gets info about what is required to keep a distant object in focus and aligned in both eyes. These two values will not ever available to fixed cameras and yet provide direct measurements of distance for your brain.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by ProjectArcturis on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:25PM (#37226705)
You also have memory to infer how fast an object is moving, and where it's trying to go, in contrast to the purely feed-forward neural networks Tesla uses.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by jackmott42 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:32PM (#37226015)
More hardware can improve reliability of a few things but doesn't address the fundamental problem, which is that Tesla FSD has no coherent way to deal with novel situations, which happen all the time when driving. IMHO we won't see "Go to sleep and drive somewhere" until there is something like a general reasoning neural net on top of the ones doing the object detection and physics and such.

"That looks like a firetruck" says the object identication net, "but after reasoning about it, it is actually just a mural on the side of a building"

And nobody knows how to build such a thing yet so it might be a long time.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by stevehawk on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:14PM (#37226572)
Well, they have a problem there. In 2016 they made a public statement where they claimed "all Teslas now have all of the hardware they will ever need to be full self driving." It was a blog post and key part of a lawsuit they lost. If they ever increase the hardware requirement for FSD then they'll have to retrofit every car made since that post.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by throwthat1 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @04:44PM (#37228258)
How is that a problem ? They could just increase the cost of FSD
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by dzader on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:01PM (#37225575)
I also have FSD beta and my model Y can't even get out of my neighborhood successfully. really wish I could get a refund.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by toast0 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:20PM (#37225838)
If I were in your shoes, I'd check w/ a lemon law attorney, and see what they think about using that to get a refund. After all, the car doesn't work as described.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by throwaway54_56 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @01:28PM (#37225956)
I'm not a contract expert by any means, but this is what it says on the order page:

"The currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous. The activation and use of these features are dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions. As these self-driving features evolve, your car will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air software updates."

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by yomlica8 on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:03PM (#37226448)
> The activation and use of these features are dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers as demonstrated by billions of miles of experience, as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions.

In other words, you can't rely on this until if becomes perfect. Which is meant to imply it is already almost perfect, but upon careful reading could also mean it doesn't work at all.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by ProjectArcturis on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:30PM (#37226761)
The legal tension here is that the feature is called "Full Self Drive", which has the plain intuitive meaning that the car can drive itself. Adding a bunch of weasel language in the fine print may not absolve Tesla from the implicit promises it makes with the name.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by FireBeyond on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:59PM (#37227098)
I think you could find a sympathetic judge:

> The activation and use of these features are dependent on achieving reliability far in excess of human drivers

The fact that you are able to activate and use FSD (albeit not always well), implies, in Tesla's own words, that they've done this (otherwise it wouldn't be available for activation and use).

> as well as regulatory approval, which may take longer in some jurisdictions

These are the real weasel words, and Tesla likes to use them regularly, to imply pretty heavily to their fans that "this all works, but pesky regulators are keeping it out of your hands".

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by moralestapia on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:09PM (#37226522)
Waiting for the comment that goes like:

"but if you compare FSD with drunk teenage drivers you still get a lower number of incidents"

The point of tech is to improve the status quo significantly, not marginally.

No one will use a calculator that is wrong 2% of the time.

I know this is real life and no driver (AI or not) could perform perfectly in this context, but AI should be WAY better than the average human driver instead of just merely equal to.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by yogurthewise on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @07:25PM (#37229902)
IDK, I would argue it is better than your average driver in a lot of cases. Not just "drunk teenagers." On my daily commute I constantly see people on their phone while driving, eating, probably too tired, etc. A couple times it has even reacted faster then I probably could and saved me when other drivers suddenly veer off.

https://electrek.co/2019/10/23/tesla-autopilot-safety-9x-saf....

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by moralestapia on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @08:41PM (#37230489)
Thanks for fulfilling my prediction.
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by yogurthewise on Thursday August 24, 2023 @12:18PM (#37250718)
any time ;)
Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by olliej on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @02:59PM (#37227101)
Well yes, because the sole reason for "fully engaged driver" is to shift fault to the "driver" rather than Tesla.

Tesla's falsely named "full self driving" cannot drive the car safely so they say you always have to have a driver in control of the car, only that is demonstrably not compatible with human physiology, and again directly contradicts the name.

We do not expect full attention from pilots in aircraft with autopilot, when they have potentially hundreds of lives under their control, but Tesla thinks it's ok to require that of car drivers and give them less time to respond to any sudden incident than a pilot has.

Re:Tesla asked officials to redact info of driver-assistance... by yogurthewise on Tuesday August 22, 2023 @07:19PM (#37229865)
Are you talking about on the highway or roads with stoplights. Normally, I rarely have issues when using Auto Pilot on the highway. On all other roads though, it definitely isn't worth it.