Tesla's autopilot, on the road

[cwerdna]

Driver in Fatal Tesla Autopilot Crash Charged With Felony Manslaughter in US First
The driver-assist system was enabled when the Tesla struck another vehicle and killed two people in 2019.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/43919/dri ... n-us-first

[lorenfb]

Driver in Fatal Tesla Autopilot Crash Charged With Felony Manslaughter in US First
The driver-assist system was enabled when the Tesla struck another vehicle and killed two people in 2019.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/43919/dri ... n-us-first

This accident occurred at the southbound 110 freeway off-ramp near where it intersects the westbound 91 freeway at its end point and
transitions to a surface street, Artesia Blvd at the Vermont Ave intersection. It's highly likely that the Autopilot system didn't see/anticipate
a freeway end point or a stop light controlled intersection at the 91 freeway end point, resulting in a deadly collision at the intersection.

[OldManCan]

If I understand this right, the vehicle was on AutoPilot and not FSD. AutoPilot is similar in capability to our ProPilot which means it will give you lane and speed control only. It would by design not know about traffic lights or stop signs and hence Tesla would not be at fault on this tragic accident. It does appear to be a driver attention deficit, negligence type situation but of course more will be revealed as the case progresses.

[jlv]

If I understand this right, the vehicle was on AutoPilot and not FSD. AutoPilot is similar in capability to our ProPilot which means it will give you lane and speed control only.

Even though Tesla now bundles EAP under FSD when you buy the car, most Tesla cars on the road do not have actual FSD enabled yet.

And in my recent road tests of various EVs, I found that the driver assistance (TAC and lane keeping) feature on the Mach-e and the ID.4 would both allow me to operate the vehicle on side roads. The same was true when I drove a LEAF with ProPilot1 (back in 2019). Nearly everything in this thread about AutoPilot now applies to all those cars.

Except the name. "AutoPilot" is the absolute worst marketing name ever.

Interesting that inside car, the interface calls out the two systems separately: TAC and AutoSteer.

[jlv]

It's highly likely that the Autopilot system didn't see/anticipate
a freeway end point or a stop light controlled intersection

This accident happened before Autopilot got the ability (via an OTA update) to stop at traffic lights and stop signs (and that ability is only for cars that had FSD purchased).

But it doesn't matter: the driver ran a red light. The driver is 100% responsible for not paying attention.

[lorenfb]

If I understand this right, the vehicle was on AutoPilot and not FSD. AutoPilot is similar in capability to our ProPilot which means it will give you lane and speed control only. It would by design not know about traffic lights or stop signs and hence Tesla would not be at fault on this tragic accident. It does appear to be a driver attention deficit, negligence type situation but of course more will be revealed as the case progresses.

That's an incorrect comparison!

FSD, which uses some of the same hardware and software as Autopilot, currently exists as an evolving collection of features that can assist the driver with parking, changing lanes on the highway, making turns, and coming to a complete halt at traffic lights and stop signs. Some owners have access to unfinished FSD beta software, which can control even more vehicle functions on public roads, even though Musk said that some versions of the software were “not great.” One version of FSD beta has already been subject to a product recall.

https://www.consumerreports.org/automot ... 114459525/

Based on the above, Tesla may be considered as a co-defendant in the SoCal red light accident involving use of Autopilot, as implied in the accident report;

https://www.thedrive.com/news/43919/dri ... n-us-first

The court will most likely have to decide the state of the Autopilot firmware at the time of the accident and its contribution to the accident.

[OldManCan]

I don't think the vehicle in question had FSD. I might be wrong on this. I thought it was on AutoPilot only running loose towards the intersection...

[lorenfb]

I don't think the vehicle in question had FSD. I might be wrong on this. I thought it was on AutoPilot only running loose towards the intersection...

It's not about FSD. Read about the functions provided by AutoPilot, i.e. its functions are not limited like Nissan's and other OEMs', in the link provided.
The discovery process will allow the court to determine the extent of Tesla's liability with regard to AutoPilot, not here on MNL.

[Oils4AsphaultOnly]

I don't think the vehicle in question had FSD. I might be wrong on this. I thought it was on AutoPilot only running loose towards the intersection...

It's not about FSD. Read about the functions provided by AutoPilot, i.e. its functions are not limited like Nissan's and other OEMs', in the link provided.
The discovery process will allow the court to determine the extent of Tesla's liability with regard to AutoPilot, not here on MNL.

Those functions weren't available at the time of the accident, so no. At that time, only highway lane keeping and speed control were available to the general public. Many of the current FSD features were part of the Enhanced Autopilot package at that time. None of which was able to handle stoplights until 2020.

[OldManCan]

Those functions weren't available at the time of the accident, so no. At that time, only highway lane keeping and speed control were available to the general public. Many of the current FSD features were part of the Enhanced Autopilot package at that time. None of which was able to handle stoplights until 2020.

Precisely! As Lorenfb suggests this is for the court to study and confirm of course but it should be a clear situation.