# Explaining Autopilot to the general public



## tencate (Jan 11, 2018)

I've had my car at several EV events and the questions I'm getting a lot lately are about autopilot. Mostly what it's like, etc.

I've come up with something like the following to explain: Driving with Autopilot is much like you being a driving instructor with "Autopilot" as your student. The Autopilot student is already really really good at driving the car so mostly I sit back and observe. But there are things Autopilot is still learning to do so you've gotta pay attention. You need to be ready to take over at any time. Plus, the Autopilot "student driver" is a nervous sort so if you've not paying attention, you'll get randomly nagged. I imagine the car asking me incessantly at times "Are you there, am I doing ok? You _are_ watching me so I don't screw up right? Helllloooo?"

Seems to get the idea across pretty well. I tell them my "student driver" already does some things better than I do.


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## SoFlaModel3 (Apr 15, 2017)

That’s a good way too put it. Only thing I would say is that Autopilot is considerably better than the student driver


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## bcamp83 (Jan 2, 2019)

Sometimes I've wondered where to grade autopilot. Originally it was like a ten-year-old trying to dive; it could go straight but that was about it. now it can do so much more. I'm thinking it's maybe a pre-teen, early teenager? 
Part of the issue I find is when we tout how awesome our Tesla is, "it drives itself" seems to be the narrative. However, this is only partially true and so I'm thinking a lot of non-EV people are assuming the car is flawless instead of realizing what it can and cannot do. 

The way I explain it is that it has really good cruise control and excellent lane keeping. I like the terms TACC and autosteer better than autopilot which is what Teslas should have probably used from the start. 

That being said I do use 'real' autopilot in airplanes and it's the same. You have to watch it all the time and be ready to take the plane back. Also, aircraft autopilot is pretty similar in that it mostly keeps the speed and will fly straight or along a defined path. Even airplanes don't avoid other objects.


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## MelindaV (Apr 2, 2016)

I posted in the AP2.5 thread about a day long drive with a coworker that hadn't been in my car previously. (Quoted below)

It made me wonder what the general public thinks autopilot is all about



MelindaV said:


> Had about 7 ½ hours of Interstate Freeway driving yesterday with a co-worker that hadn't yet been in my car. 95% of that was at least using TACC, with the majority AP Autosteer as well. About 2 hours into the trip, he asked me if I'd tried using the Autopilot on the car yet. um..... when we started the trip, I explained the screen graphics and engagement/disengagement beeps. following his question, I explained that what we had been doing IS Autopilot (no idea what he thought AP was).
> but I think his non-reaction to the car controlling most of the drive says quite about about how far AP has come.


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## Eric714 (Feb 16, 2019)

tencate said:


> I've had my car at several EV events and the questions I'm getting a lot lately are about autopilot. Mostly what it's like, etc.
> 
> I've come up with something like the following to explain: Driving with Autopilot is much like you being a driving instructor with "Autopilot" as your student. The Autopilot student is already really really good at driving the car so mostly I sit back and observe. But there are things Autopilot is still learning to do so you've gotta pay attention. You need to be ready to take over at any time. Plus, the Autopilot "student driver" is a nervous sort so if you've not paying attention, you'll get randomly nagged. I imagine the car asking me incessantly at times "Are you there, am I doing ok? You _are_ watching me so I don't screw up right? Helllloooo?"
> 
> Seems to get the idea across pretty well. I tell them my "student driver" already does some things better than I do.


I tell people it's like letting your 15-year-old kid drive the car. You're comfortable in normal conditions, but when traffic picks up, there is construction, or the weather gets bad, you want to be able to grab the wheel to take over.


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## tencate (Jan 11, 2018)

bcamp83 said:


> The way I explain it is that it has really good cruise control and excellent lane keeping. I like the terms TACC and autosteer better than autopilot which is what Teslas should have probably used from the start.


I used to do that too except my "student driver" is now making lane changes (under my watchful eye) and deciding whether or not there's a car or motorcycle in the car's blind spot before it does that lane change. Can't wait to see it start to do even more


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## Love (Sep 13, 2017)

I realize the thread here is about what it’s like, but I’d like to add that I always make sure to explain that Tesla is at level 2 of 5 levels of autonomous driving. So many people don’t have the information that a lot of us do and just ask “isn’t that the car that can drive itself?” Just yesterday at a graduation party I was asked “does your car robot drive?” Sure, why not. The name autopilot is just a name anyway so we can call it whatever we want as long as we know the (current) limitations.

I also make sure to explain how every car comes with it turned OFF and it’s the owner/drivers decision to go into the settings and turn it on, complete with the built in pop up warnings. In fact, at both deliveries, the Tesla employee said they were legally not allowed to turn it on for us. I wondered if that happens everywhere with everyone’s delivery but decided already it probably isn’t, but it should be.

So, I do think that I’m on topic here even though it’s a bit more technical than opinion on what it’s like. I think letting people know it’s level 2 of 5 gives them an understanding of where it’s at and how far it needs to go.


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## TOFLYIN (May 28, 2018)

I tell people when I got the car it was like taking your 16 year old out to drive for the first time, jerky and a bit scary. The more you use it the more it learns. Every month or so after an update it gets better, the same as your teenager would. Now it is like driving with a teenager with 1 years driving experience. By no means perfect, but getting better. Now as long as you pay a bit of attention, you can look around a bit and enjoy the ride.


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## turnem (Apr 26, 2019)

I think your explanation is great for folks that already have some grounding in what to expect from Autopilot. But some folks think of Autopilot as what was shown in the latest video by Tesla as FSD. 

Don't get me wrong - I'm very bullish on Tesla Autopilot. But I think the general, non-informed, public thinks it's much further along than it actually is.


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