Model S
Tesla's 'Autopilot' Will Make Mistakes. Humans Will Overreact
I’ve long thought that Tesla made a mistake calling its system “Autopilot”; it sounds nifty, but the implicit promise it makes amounts to sticking a sign on every car saying “Please, someone file a class-action lawsuit.” Watching a movie while driving is not the recommended use of Autopilot. The company says: “Always keep your hands on the wheel. Be prepared to take over at any time.” But if you call your system “Autopilot,” you can't be surprised when some drivers watch a movie while using that mode. We all want self-driving cars so badly that some people are behaving as if they’re already here. That sets up expectations that are bound to be dashed.
Misfortune (Tesla response to Fortune article)
The bottom line is that Fortune jumped the gun on a story before they had the facts. They then sought wrongly to defend that position by plucking boilerplate language from SEC filings that have no bearing on what happened, while failing to correct or acknowledge their original omissions and errors.
Automated to Death
“There will always be a set of circumstances that was not expected, that the automation either was not designed to handle or other things that just cannot be predicted,” explains Parasuraman. So as system reliability approaches—but doesn’t quite reach—100 percent, “the more difficult it is to detect the error and recover from it,” he says. And when the human operator can’t detect the system’s error, the consequences can be tragic.
Thoughtful article on the challenges of automating driving.
Model S with Lidar spotted near Tesla HQ
The Tesla self-driving test vehicle is disguised as cleverly as possible. A giant Stanford logo on the rear windshield and a Stanford license plate frame with a paper plate. Clearly, Tesla is trying to convince locals that this is part of a Stanford research project. Although Stanford is a very wealthy university, I doubt they would be using a brand new Model S for experimental purposes. My suspicions were confirmed that this was a Tesla corporate vehicle when I saw it enter the back parking lot of Tesla headquarters!
Tesla asked to pay ~$6,000 to Model S P85D owners in Norway for misleading power output
Now we learn that Norway’s Consumer Disputes Commission is siding with the plaintiffs and is asking Tesla to pay 50,000 Norwegian Krones (~$6,000 USD) to each Model S P85D owners in a recently released verdict. With over 150 owner complainants during the last count with Consumer Council, but also around 600 total owners in the country at the time the complaint was filed, it could easily become a significant fine for Tesla – potentially more than $1 million... The company still has a few weeks to appeal before it has to award the compensations to the owners.
Model X
Tesla Model X “Ultra White” seats tested against coffee spill and ketchup stains
One brave Tesla Model X family took to video to show just how stain-proof the white seats can be by putting it through a stain test. Armed with coffee, ketchup and a child’s juice box, the hosts behind the Like Tesla YouTube channel pour each of the substances onto the white seats (not for the faint of heart). According to Tesla’s Model X design configurator, the Ultra White interior costs an additional $2,500 and is covered with a stain resistant coating.
Tesla Autopilot 2.0 is coming this year
A source close to Tesla Motors, on the condition of anonymity, has confirmed that Tesla Autopilot 2.0 is coming soon. Prototype Model S and Model X units are already operating in the wild sporting two forward facing cameras, something other outlets have reported on as well, which may indicate part of the new hardware to take advantage of Autopilot 2.0’s additional features. “The dual camera system is capable of recognizing and reacting to stop signs and traffic lights with no driver input,” our source explained. Tesla’s autopilot currently needs a car in front of it in order to automatically slow down or stop. In other words, a Tesla can’t currently just stop itself at a light or a stop sign, which is why the added cameras may be required. If Autopilot 2.0 does indeed read and react to traffic lights and stop signs, it would bring Tesla’s cars closer to autonomous driving.
Model 3
The Catalyst For Tesla Is Production
Regarding the market’s concern about Tesla’s ability to ramp up production, first generation cars will always run into issues on the assembly line. Here’s how it works: The production line is run at maximum output, building cars at a rapid rate and then it’s shut down to inspect the vehicles for any flaws. The manufacturing process is then retooled to fix any problems that have been uncovered after which the production line is turned back on, and it’s running at full capacity again. Production may be slow for the first few months, but once a flawless run has been achieved, you can expect an instantaneous ramp-up, not a slow gradual one. Thus, while I do anticipate delays, all the bugs will be worked out such that Tesla will be able deliver 500,000 vehicles a year by 2018 – as long as the batteries are available. This is a key uncertainty as batteries remain in short supply.
Other News
California Ponders Changes to Fuel Rules as Tesla Cries Foul
The resources board made its 15.4 percent estimate before Tesla announced plans for 500,000 electric vehicles, or EVs, a year by 2018. At the time of the estimate, plug-in hybrids often traveled just 20 miles on batteries. Today, the new Chevrolet Volt travels 53 miles before a gasoline-burning engine starts up to generate more electricity. The board could strengthen the mandate by simply raising the number of credits and sales automakers need to comply. Or, conscious that the requirements could be seen as a “Tesla subsidy program,’’ regulators could limit the credits that any individual automaker can sell, Sperling said.
Facebook Hires Tesla’s Rich Heley for Building 8 Innovation Lab
Facebook Inc. nabbed a top Tesla Motors Inc. executive to work at its new Building 8 research lab, another major hire for the group tasked with fast-paced development of hardware products. Rich Heley, who was most recently vice president of product technology at Tesla, will report to Regina Dugan, a former Google executive whom Facebook hired in April to lead Building 8.