Driver Videos Push Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ to Its Limits

Tesla Motors Inc. bills its new Autopilot system as a safety feature and an important steppingstone to driverless cars. But Model S owners are doing their best to poke holes in that safety claim.

The combination of hardware and software, which provides functions such as hands-free cruising on a highway and lane changing, has been available since Oct. 15. Since its introduction, dozens of YouTube videos have appeared with drivers exhibiting inadvisable behaviors—such as reading the newspaper—or illustrating system failures, or capturing a few near-accidents.

The videos highlight the tension in the auto industry over how fast autonomous vehicle functions should be available in the marketplace. Tesla’s Autopilot includes what others call adaptive cruise control, keeping a car in its lane and accelerating and braking by itself so long as there are clear lane lines the system’s camera can detect.

Well That Didn’t Take Long

Tesla Motors introduced “Autopilot,” which makes recent Model S sedans and all Model X SUVs semi-autonomous, through an over the air software update on October 14. The system, installed in tens of thousands of vehicles, uses radar, cameras, GPS, and ultrasonic sensors to keep the car within its lane, maintain a safe following distance, and change lanes at the command of the human. CEO Elon Musk urged prudence when using Autopilot, saying, “We tell drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case, to exercise caution in the beginning.”

Four days later, Reese, Mastracci, and Roy piled into a Model S and took off. They covered 2,994 miles at an average speed of 51.8 mph, a figure that includes the time spent plugged into Supercharger stations along the way. They had autopilot mode engaged 96 percent of the time, Reese says, using it at speeds around 90 mph. It eased the burden on the team, a big deal when you’re in a car for 57 hours straight.

Autopilot caused a few scares, Roy says, largely because the car was moving so quickly. “There were probably three or four moments where we were on autonomous mode at 90 miles an hour, and hands off the wheel,” and the road curved, Roy says. Where a trained driver would aim for the apex—the geometric center of the turn—to maintain speed and control, the car follows the lane lines. “If I hadn’t had my hands there, ready to take over, the car would have gone off the road and killed us.” He’s not annoyed by this, though. “That’s my fault for setting a speed faster than the system’s capable of compensating.”

These three aren’t the only people pushing the system’s limits. Tesla owners already are posting videos of themselves driving with theirs hands off the wheel, sometimes with hairy results like being pulled over for speeding and nearly steering into an oncoming car.

Gray Areas

Rules governing autonomous driving barely exist, and the few that are in place vary by state. There was nothing stopping Tesla from flipping the switch to make its cars steer themselves, but there’s no system for regulating what that means in the real world. Musk advises caution and responsibility, but Tesla isn’t rushing to rein in drivers. Musk himself congratulated Reese, Mastracci, and Roy on Twitter:

“It’s so cool to see Model S owners get out there and use this groundbreaking technology. The more people who use it, the better it will get,” says company spokeswoman Khobi Brooklyn. “Having said that, today’s Autopilot features are designed to provide a hands-on experience to give drivers more confidence behind the wheel, increase their safety on the road, and make highway driving more enjoyable. Drivers can’t abdicate responsibility, we expect the driver to be present and prepared to take over at any time.”

Tesla’s Autopilot is only available above 18 mph and is intended only for highway use, but there are no apparent restrictions on top speed, or where the system’s used. The human has to touch the wheel every few seconds, otherwise the car beeps a warning, and eventually comes to a controlled stop. Tesla’s not the only company with this kind of tech: Mercedes’ Intelligent Drive system lets the S- and E-Class sedans stay in their lanes at a controlled speed, but those cars require the human keep her hands on the wheel at all times.

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