Retrospectively, it was a boneheaded move for Tesla to name it's driver-assist module "Autopilot." Autopilots have so far been found only on aircraft and as an airline pilot once told me, his real job is not to fly the plane but to monitor the computer systems that fly the plane. In fact, he said, once GPS came in to commercial use, a modern airliner needs only to be pointed down the runway and told to fly to the destination and it will take off, fly the programmed route, and land there without a human hand or foot on the controls.
But Tesla's autopilot is not nearly that advanced for a car. It's a semi-autopilot at best. It looks impressive, without doubt:
Lately, cars with AP (henceforth) have been involved in crashes, a few resulted in deaths. In one crash the AP (reports say) failed to distinguish between the sky and a white truck cutting into the lane ahead and so did not brake.
The BBC has reported on this problem in Britain, too. Tesla of course says that AP is not to blame, that drivers are still responsible for safe operation of the cars even with AP engaged, and that this is new technology that will get better over time. All of that is quite sensible, really, but for now Consumer Reports says that Tesla must deactivate Autopilot steering.
Here is the Tesla autopilot presskit page. What AP is designed to do is:
- Maintain driver-set speed with a cruise control that automatically adjusts speed to account for traffic ahead.
- Maintain the car's position in the lane by steering itself.
- Change lanes with the driver doing nothing but activating the turn-signal lever, and the car will wait until its sensors tell it the move is safe.
- Parallel park itself when directed by the driver.
That's not me, btw.
Honda Sensing offers lane-keeping assistance, not auto steering. I have found that on the interstate there is no curve that the car will not steer itself through, even at the speed limit (or higher, but I didn't say that). On other roads it will auto-steer curves depending on the car's speed and the sharpness of the curve, usually no more than half the time. Even with this feature turned off, the car still warns me if the car starts creeping toward the other lane.
Honda Sensing does have adaptive cruise control, same as Tesla's. And the Honda package also has auto-braking (with brake warnings to the driver) and avoidance of running off the road. The Accord does not park itself, though.
But ISTM the main difference between Honda Sensing and Tesla's Autopilot is that the Honda's system goes limp if the driver fails to hold onto the steering wheel. When the Honda's sensors detect no hands on the wheel for a number of seconds (I have not timed it, but I'd say 5-7) then a bright "Steering Required" warning lights up and the activated Sensing systems cease operation. The car still runs, mind, but all the driver assistance systems stop (except I presume auto-braking, but I am not willing to test it!) That's what Consumer Reports says must be modified on every Tesla AP-equipped car, that the AP require the driver's hands on the wheel to operate.
Tesla has announced that its AP was never intended to relieve the driver of actually driving the car, only of operating the basic controls all the time. But that is what calling it "autopilot" strongly implies. One fatality, a former Navy SEAL, is reported to have been watching a movie behind the wheel instead of driving it.
I strongly endorse Honda Sensing if you get a Honda. Other makers have similar systems with other names. Only Tesla calls it an autopilot. But it's not. Don't let a computer drive your car.
Update: This is a good video about the tech features of the 2016 Accord, too, including its full integration with your smartphone via Apple Play or Android Auto.
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