> If Tesla had called this something like "lane-assist adaptive cruise control" I think your average Joe would have had much more realistic expectations around how the technology actually functions.
Which would be foolish on their part, since it would equate their system with that found on other cars. The systems found on other cars are garbage to the point of being unusable. The system that Tesla has is in a different class.
If by "unusable" you mean that they actually work, and do not actively try to kill you, then yes, that's what they have.
Tesla's system is exactly the same thing, except that it is marketed as some fancy "autopilot" with "self-driving hardware" or whatever BS Musk is pushing to fanboys blinded by the whole "look, ma, no emissions" thing.
But of course Tesla can't call it that, and not something fancy like "autopilot" because otherwise what could they market? A glorified golf cart (granted, a pretty fast golf cart) that combines a luxury car price with a Yugo quality? That's not a winning combo.
Well, it's either a "glorified golf cart" or you're a short seller with a financial incentive to spread the nonsense in your post. I'm going to bet on the latter =)
Not just luxury cars, even economy cars are shipping with adaptive cruise control, automatic lane-keeping, and automatic collision avoidance, and (at least the ones I've tried) work fantastically. On the highway you really don't have to do anything.
Luxury car brands ship with a limited feature set that reflects an appropriate conservatism. For example, they can detect cars in your blind spot and warn you, and they can put the brakes if someone short stops ahead of you. They have many of the required sensors but are waiting for the tech to mature
This is not true. BMW 5 and 7 series have adaptive cruise control and lane centering. I had a Tesla and now have a 5 series and the 5 series Lane centering is on par with Tesla’s autopilot. The only thing it lacks in the US is auto lane change (but it works in other countries).
Mercedes' system is quite good, to the point that I got tired of waiting for my Model 3 reservation to come up and got a Mercedes plug-in hybrid instead. It's really close to Tesla's AP.
Indeed! The Tesla system appears to have a much higher probability of killing you! I don't see headlines about "$carbrand cruise control out of control, kills driver"
You don't see those headlines because short sellers aren't obsessed with those brands like they are with Tesla. Not because those brands are actually safer or don't have accidents.
"Tesla is, by a wide margin, the No. 1 short stock in terms of money at risk and exposure within the global auto industry"
But what does it have to do with there being quite a few (better selling, cheaper) models with 0 fatalities?
Hell, cruise control in a Hyundai actually alarms and brakes if you try to drive into a stationary object. But they don't have Saint Elon at the helm...
Alas, there were statistics posted here on HN in one of the Tesla accident threads [0]. And these were even for cars older than Tesla, cheaper than Tesla, and selling possibly order of magnitude more vehicles (quite possible for Hondas and Toyotas on the list) than Tesla.
Wouldn't it be sad if you had invested your life's savings in TSLA upon hearing Saint Musk preaching his BS, and now need to defend that investment against all facts?
(yeah, there is some sarcasm above, but your accusations of FUD and being paid for it strongly smell of spiked Kool-Aid)
> Alas, there were statistics posted here on HN in one of the Tesla accident threads
3 year period, 6 years ago. Zero citations, just a blank statement.
Not only that, it's not believable. The Honda Odyssey sells in the hundreds of thousands per year. Nevermind the other cars.
There are over 30,000 vehicle fatalities per year in the US, but those models that have been around for years and are extremely popular with consumers ... have had zero fatalities?
Let me guess, it's because they're not Teslas. Who's really drinking the Kool-Aid?
> your accusations of FUD and being paid for it strongly smell of spiked Kool-Aid
I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong, but I'm getting tired of the lying.
And we are talking about older cars that might not even have all the supposed safety features a "luxury" (not that it really were one) golf cart like Tesla supposedly has.
Sorry, but you really should lay off the Kool-Aid. Not to say that Tesla were a death trap, but it is fart from being a safest car on the road, no matter what electric fanboys might want to believe.
I chided the user who accused you of being a shill, but I need to chide you as well. You've been using HN for flamewars, which is really not what we want on HN. You've also crossed into personal attack in this comment, and in others previously. Would you please read https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and take the spirit of this site to heart when commenting here?
Which would be foolish on their part, since it would equate their system with that found on other cars. The systems found on other cars are garbage to the point of being unusable. The system that Tesla has is in a different class.