Tesla Picks an Awkward Time to Announce Updates to Its Autopilot System

by Steph Willems

Published: July 5th, 2016

tesla picks an awkward time to announce updates to its autopilot system

Less than a week after it was revealed that Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving mode played a role in a deadly May crash, the automaker is planning a host of changes to its Autopilot system.

The changes, billed as the 8.0 upgrade, include a feature that allows the vehicle to exit a highway and navigate an off-ramp while in Autopilot mode, according to Autoguide. The function will be activated by the vehicle’s turn signal.

Other changes to Autopilot include a more responsive Traffic-Aware cruise control system, a smoother Autosteer system, and a new interface that relays more information to the driver about the vehicle’s surroundings. An easier-to-use voice command system and upgraded navigation system (which allows drivers to select the best route for range and recharging options) is included in the software.

The 8.0 upgrade doesn’t have a release date, but is currently undergoing beta testing in a few vehicles.

Tesla’s method of finessing its Autopilot system through real-world consumer use was criticised in the wake of the fatal Florida crash that claimed the life of an ex-Navy SEAL. Joshua Brown died on May 7 after his 2015 Tesla Model S drove underneath a tractor-trailer that was crossing the highway in front of his vehicle. The Model S, which was in Autopilot mode, didn’t recognize or react to the obstacle due to glare caused by the afternoon sun hitting the side of the white trailer.

Despite Tesla warning owners to maintain a level of alertness while driving in Autopilot mode, safety advocates say the advanced state of the technology, combined with the fact there are still flaws to be worked out, puts owners at risk. Autopilot’s technology is advanced enough to cause drivers to become overconfident in its abilities, they say.

Following the crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation into 25,000 Model S vehicles equipped with Autopilot.

#Autopilot #Gizmology #Semi-autonomousVehicles #Technology #Tesla #TeslaModelS

Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments

Join the conversation

14 of 76 comments

Mcs on Jul 05, 2016

My thinking is that the "blindness" from the conditions is detectable and the autopilot should have disengaged. If I was betting on the outcome of this, that's the way I'd go.

Like Reply
NeilM on Jul 06, 2016

The real question is, why isn't anybody talking about the truck driver who illegally turned left in front of an oncoming car, thereby killing its driver?

Like Reply
- See 11 previous
- Old Man Pants on Jul 06, 2016
  
  Because Teslites hate Josh Brown for endangering their Idol's credibility more than they hate sweaty little no-neck truck drivers.
  
  Like
- Pch101 on Jul 06, 2016
  
  Fault for the crash does not justify Autopilot's failure to apply the brakes.
  
  Like
- Old Man Pants on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Pch101 No, but didn't you just the other day write the equivalent of 12 Old Testament psalms trying to get a certain guy to admit who was ultimately responsible?
  
  Like
- Pch101 on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Old Man Pants Between the folks who can't figure out that driving a big truck doesn't provide an exemption from obeying traffic laws and the fanboys who can't figure out that a thing called Autopilot ought to apply the brakes when the fit hits the shan, this could be a full-type job. One of those crash test dummy jobs would be less painful.
  
  Like
- Old Man Pants on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Pch101 Smart man's burden. I don't want to know what that's like.
  
  Like
- TriumphDriver on Jul 06, 2016
  
  You are making a major assumption that the driver of the truck saw the oncoming vehicle. Given that the Tesla captures so much information about the way the car is being driven it should be possible to reconstruct the timeline in some detail and get a good idea of where the Tesla was and what speed it was traveling when the truck driver started his turn.
  
  Like
- Old Man Pants on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @TriumphDriver Baressi said he saw it. In fact, he said he saw it approaching in the left lane but it veered into the right lane before impact. Only saw that last statement once and can't find it now. It would hugely alter either the comatose Autopilot or clueless driver scenario if true. Doesn't Autopilot engage lane-keeping by default?
  
  Like
- TriumphDriver on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Old Man Pants All the reports I've seen quoted the driver as saying "he went so fast through my trailer I didn't see him". I accept that might mean he didn't actually see the driver of the car, I took it to mean he never saw the car. But that's exactly why a reconstruction of the event is critical for a number of reasons. I would think Tesla would be extremely interested in it to try to understand how their system worked/didn't work. If the Tesla's speed was so far over the limit the driver of the truck could argue that the Tesla's speed was a major contributing factor to the accident. The lane change suggestion is also critical to understanding what happened. Does the Tesla system monitor what changes were commanded by the system and what were commanded by the driver?
  
  Like
- Vulpine on Jul 06, 2016
  
  People are, Neil. There is no sure evidence that the truck's maneuver was illegal. Considering sight lines and the likely distance of the Tesla when the trucker started the turn, he may have never seen the car. Dark car, near the horizon, with dark trees to either side of the highway and apparently no Daylight Running Lamps (of which I'm aware) combined with the speed the car was traveling puts almost the entire onus of this event on the operator of the car, who was simply not paying attention to the road.
  
  Like
- Vulpine on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Old Man Pants No, Kenmore, I don't hate Mr. Brown. He clearly trusted the system to work better than it was capable. Keep in mind he'd already had one near miss not even a month before where the car maneuvered to avoid a crash and had something like 8 speeding tickets in the last two years. I don't hate him, but he had an obvious propensity to push his limits on a consistent basis.
  
  Like
- Vulpine on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @TriumphDriver "Given that the Tesla captures so much information about the way the car is being driven it should be possible to reconstruct the timeline in some detail and get a good idea of where the Tesla was and what speed it was traveling when the truck driver started his turn." I'm quite sure that the NHTSA and Tesla are both working with that exact information right now.
  
  Like
- Vulpine on Jul 06, 2016
  
  @Old Man Pants "Baressi said he saw it. In fact, he said he saw it approaching in the left lane but it veered into the right lane before impact." Kind of strange that he said he saw it, then later says he never saw it until after it passed under his trailer. However... Anyone happen to wonder how the car so-accurately positioned itself between the rear wheels of the tractor and the wheels of the trailer? Could that lane-change have been the autopilot aiming to find a safe passage because it knew it couldn't stop in time? If it assumed the side of the trailer was an overhead sign, then it may have 'thought' it was passing between two cars instead.
  
  Like