5. READER RESPONSE DRAFT 2 (last edited on 06/10)

In accordance with Tesla’s support webpage, “Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel.”. The driver assistance system requires the driver’s attention, it does not make the vehicle autonomous (Tesla, 2024). All newly purchased Tesla vehicles come stock with the Basic Autopilot system. To top that, Tesla customers can pay extra for the optional Full Self Driving (FSD) upgrade (Armstrong, 2023). The Basic Autopilot comprises Traffic-Aware Cruise control (TACC) and the Autosteer feature; it is the most basic form of driver assistance for Tesla vehicles (Find My Electric, n.d.). The FSD features consist of Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, Smart Summon, Autosteer on City Streets and Traffic and Stop Sign Control (Tesla, 2024). The names of the systems and features such as “Autopilot”, “Autopark” and “Full Self-Driving”, are misnomers as they are all meant to be used with a driver that is focused on the road and can take charge of the vehicle should anything go wrong.

Boasting an array of advanced features, Tesla’s driver assistance system not only enhances driver safety but also reduces their workload, though the system comes with its own set of limitations.

The Basic Autopilot features assist the drivers in accelerating, braking, and steering within their lanes. The system works by incorporating multiple sensors, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence algorithms. Using the technologies, the Autopilot system gathers information to understand what is happening on roads which includes traffic signs, road markings, other vehicles, pedestrians and any other obstacles (Ian, 2024).  The TACC allows for a safe distance between the driver’s Tesla vehicle and the vehicle in front. It uses radar and front-facing cameras to determine the location of the vehicle ahead and it adjusts the Tesla’s speed accordingly. Not only does the autosteer feature enable a Tesla vehicle to remain centred within its lane, but it also allows the vehicle to change lanes and self-park. The cameras around the vehicle rely on tracking clearly marked road markings to remain centred within its lane. To assist in lane changing, when the driver activates the turn signal, the sensors prevent the vehicle from driving into other vehicles. For self-parking, the vehicle utilizes both cameras and sensors to prevent the vehicle from hitting any obstacles (Tung, n.d.). Tesla states that the Autopilot features can be overridden by the driver at any instant by steering or applying the brakes, or by using the control stalk to deactivate the features (Tesla, 2024). The TACC and autosteer are the features that make up the Basic Autopilot and the system requires the driver to be always paying attention to remain functional.

The features of the Basic Autopilot system give rise to additional convenience and safety for the driver. In terms of convenience, Ian (2024) mentions that drivers can set a preferred speed and let the system manage the corrections, thereby reducing driver fatigue for long journeys. The active safety features include collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning and assistance. Since the Autopilot system is constantly monitoring the vehicle’s surroundings, Tesla vehicles have the added benefit of collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking in critical situations. Furthermore, Tesla vehicles can automatically correct itself when the driver veers out of their lane (Ian, 2024). To sum it up, the Basic Autopilot system reduces the driver’s workload while enhancing safety simultaneously.

External factors such as weather, road conditions or obstructions can negatively affect the functionality of the Autopilot system. For instance, heavy rain, snow, or fog can reduce the effectiveness of the sensors and cameras on the vehicle. Additionally, extreme temperatures may also negatively impact the functionality of the sensors and cameras. In an article on their website, Tesla advises users to periodically clean the sensors and cameras on the vehicle (Tesla, 2024). In an article, Sarwar (2024) discusses unpredictability in Tesla’s system stemming from faded lane markings which “trick” the Autopilot and FSD systems. The same author states that Tesla released a software update that enabled the Autopilot system to judge faded lane markings more precisely (Sarwar, 2024). It remains that the Autopilot system may not always be accurate in terms of its judgement of the surroundings, and it is fallible.

In conclusion, Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, namely the Autopilot system, is a well-rounded driver assistance system, it is also a revolutionary system in the automotive industry, one that stimulated other companies to follow suit. However, it is not a system that allows for complete autonomy when it comes to driving vehicles.

Armstrong, K. (5 September, 2023). Tesla FSD Cost and Price Increase History. Retrieved from not a tesla app: https://www.notateslaapp.com/tesla-reference/958/tesla-fsd-price-increase-history

Find My Electric. (n.d.). Tesla Autopilot – The Ultimate Guide. Retrieved from Find My Electric: https://www.findmyelectric.com/tesla-autopilot-ultimate-guide/

Ian. (3 June, 2024). How Does Tesla Autopilot Work? Retrieved from pressfarm: https://press.farm/how-does-tesla-autopilot-work/

Sarwar, N. (4 May, 2024). THIS TESLA AUTOPILOT LIMITATION HAS DRIVERS WORRIED: HERE'S WHY. Retrieved from SLASH GEAR: https://www.slashgear.com/1572681/tesla-auto-pilot-faded-lines-flaw/

Tesla. (2024). Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised). Retrieved from tesla: https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot

Tung, M. (n.d.). How it Works: Tesla's Autopilot Self-Driving Automobile Technology. Retrieved from jameco: https://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/Howitworks/how-it-works-tesla-autopilot-self-driving-automobile-technology.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqhklLtgvnDGqArksi4YwvizUASflY8OuTceJ8tEVn0p2sF-f6_

 

 Posts I have read:

- Ye Xiong

- Ash

- Denzel

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2. FORMAL INTRODUCTORY LETTER

Dear Sir Brad, I am writing this letter to introduce myself formally to you and even my classmates who might be reading this letter in the coming weeks. I am Krissh, a mechanical engineering undergraduate at SIT and I am from the class, T20 in the critical thinking and communicating module. Previously, I attained a diploma in aerospace engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic after which I served the nation for 2 years in the army. As a child, I was often intrigued by how things worked. Growing up, I watched television channels such as Discovery Channel and National Geographic instead of cartoons. I was often amazed by how things worked, especially airplanes! I enjoyed learning math and science related subjects compared to other subjects. However, it was only in polytechnic where I found out that learning engineering is heavy in math and science. In secondary school, I was a member in Singapore Youth Flying Club (SYFC). Being part of SYFC, I gained a huge liking for aircraft and technology
Read more

1. THOUGHTS ON THE QUOTE PICKED DURING THE FIRST LESSON 02/09

 “Without clear lines of communication, our ideas would stay within our own small  development teams instead of becoming mature products. While this is obvious to those  of us who have become experienced engineers, the real question is: Why is it lost to us  when we are engineering students?” ~ Akbar R Khan, Software Systems Engineer, USA,  “Good Communication Is Essential...” (2014) In my opinion... As engineering students, the quote resonates with us really well . Akbar delivered a really short yet sharp and concise message with the quote. It shows the transition in communication ability from engineering students to experienced engineers. From this we can infer that communication skills amongst engineers is developed with time and experience. Based on our experiences, most of the lessons in school were theoretical. Although hard skills such as math and physics are beneficial to us during tests/work that requires calculations. Soft skills like interpersonal communication cannot be
Read more

4. SUMMARY, DRAFT 2 + THESIS

Image
According to Tesla’s support webpage, “Autopilot is an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel.”. The Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems requires the driver’s attention, and it does not make the vehicle autonomous   (Tesla, 2024) . It is standard for newly purchased Tesla vehicles come with Basic Autopilot features. Tesla customers must pay additional money for the Enhanced Autopilot features and FSD. (Armstrong, 2023) The Basic Autopilot comprises of Traffic-Aware Cruise control and the Autosteer feature, it is the most basic form of driver assistance for Tesla vehicles   (Find My Electric, n.d.) . Enhanced Autopilot features consist of: Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon and Smart Summon. The FSD covers all the features from the Basic and Enhanced Autopilot and more (Tesla, 2024) . We should take note that despite many of these systems and features having names such as “Autopilot”, “Autopark” a
Read more