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from the did-you-expect-something-different dept.
Next month, the electric car company's CEO revealed on Twitter, that a software update for Tesla's autopilot software will make the control algorithm "as smooth as silk."
The software update will be pushed out to all second-generation Teslas, known as HW2. These cars currently have fewer features than the first-generation cars, but are gradually catching up and have more sensors and computing power, so promise to be better in the long term.
In March the Autosteer speed limit for HW2 Teslas increased to 80 mph, and in May to 90 mph, which left the cars feeling "safe, but unpleasant" to drive, according to Musk. The new control algorithm, set to be rolled out next month, "is even safer, but super smooth."
[ n1: During this Twitter foray Musk also responded to a request for a Model 3 update; he said there will be no updates until deliveries begin in July. Earlier in the month Musk stated that the company is taking an "anti-selling" strategy on the Model 3 with no advertising or test-drives for the first six to nine months of production. This is apparently in part due to "confusion" that some people had, thinking the Model 3 is a replacement to the Model S. ]
(Score: 2) by a-zA-Z0-9$_.+!*'(),- on Thursday May 25 2017, @02:50AM (1 child)
Although you may be right, theoretically, that a single data point is hard to extrapolate from with confidence, a death is perhaps the most tragic of data points.
The ability of self-driving cars to kill their occupants and other people has yet to be "solved" - and is, I believe, a pressing issue. A more luxurious driving experience is just PR puffery.
Saying the driver was partially to blame doesn't resolve anything: the move is towards increasing car control. Within a few years, these cars will likely drive themselves, and then it will be abundantly clear who is to blame. At least we'll have a nice pleasant ride, if we "don't lose our heads".
https://newrepublic.com/article/114112/anonymouth-linguistic-tool-might-have-helped-jk-rowling
(Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday May 25 2017, @09:27AM
I could just as easily argue that the ability of human-driven cars to kill their occupants and other people has yet to be "solved" - and refer you to many thousands of tragic data points to back it up - but people like TESLA are actually in the process of solving it.
Nonetheless, there WILL be deaths from self-driving cars, just as there are deaths from human driven ones. No system is perfect. The only data point that matters is this: Which one produces fewer deaths per mile driven?