A Tragic Loss
teslamotors.com
A Tragic Loss
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Re: A Tragic Loss
#2> What we know is that the vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to the Model S. Neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.
Tragic no doubt, but I'm relieved that this was not a "Autopilot did something very very wrong" story.
Autopilot has the potential to save a large number of lives (I'm sure Tesla execs are thinking about touting "estimated lives saved by autopilot" if the numbers work out, after a few billion miles), so I hope incidents like this don't hamper public perception and therefore research.
Re: A Tragic Loss
#3Tragic. Good that they own it, though I'm not thrilled with this:
It is important to note that Tesla disables Autopilot by default and requires explicit acknowledgement that the system is new technology and still in a public beta phase before it can be enabled. When drivers activate Autopilot, the acknowledgment box explains, among other things, that Autopilot “is an assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times," and that "you need to maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle” while using it. Additionally, every time that Autopilot is engaged, the car reminds the driver to “Always keep your hands on the wheel. Be prepared to take over at any time.” The system also makes frequent checks to ensure that the driver's hands remain on the wheel and provides visual and audible alerts if hands-on is not detected. It then gradually slows down the car until hands-on is detected again.
Re: A Tragic Loss
#4It's all over CNBC right now, Tesla is down 2.58% in after hours after closing up 0.99%
Re: A Tragic Loss
#5Entitled "A tragic loss" but reads like a massive disclaimer. . .
Re: A Tragic Loss
#6I think it would have read a little better if the last paragraph was earlier. It ends up sounding tawdry after the massive disclaimer.
Re: A Tragic Loss
#7No other auto maker would do this. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this makes me respect Tesla even more.
It's also a reminder to engineers to have an extremely high bar of excellence.
EDIT: thanks for telling me I'm wrong. This was a self-serving blog post on their part to damage control.
Re: A Tragic Loss
#8Tesla should not allow autopilots. They have nothing to gain by the negative publicity they will get from cases like these. Regardless of how bad luck the driver had, tesla can always be blamed for relaxing the driver's reflexes by giving a false sense of safety. It doesnt matter if it was by default turned off or hidden in menus.
What other companies use this kind of driving assist system? The ones i know are only hinting to the driver , and disengage if the driver does not respond.
Got to be careful about these things. You don't put beta stuff in cars. It's like your doctor making drug trials on you. They should figure out a way that autopilot engages the driver and keeps his eyes on the road.
Re: A Tragic Loss
#9No other auto maker would do this. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this makes me respect Tesla even more. It's also a reminder to engineers to have an extremely high bar of excellence. EDIT: thanks for telling me I'm wrong. This was a self-serving blog post on their part to damage control.
This was entirely defensive and self-serving on behalf of Tesla. It's a general PR release, companies do these all the time. What made this so special?
Re: A Tragic Loss
#10Entitled "A tragic loss" but reads like a massive disclaimer. . .
It's both.