Tesla upgraded autonomous vehicle package inferior to a human

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By Keith Barry, consumer reports – May 22, 2019

Tesla's updated Navigate on Autopilot software now lets some drivers choose whether or not the car can automatically change lanes without the driver's input. The automaker says the change is an attempt to make driving “more seamless." But Consumer Reports observed the opposite in its own tests, finding it doesn’t work very well and could create potential safety risks for drivers.

Tesla added the lane-changing update to its existing Navigate on Autopilot feature last month as part of a promised upgrade to the package of driver assist features. We first reviewed Navigate on Autopilot in November and found it technologically impressive, but we also raised concerns about its performance in heavy traffic.

To enable the new feature, a driver must first change the system's settings, essentially giving the car permission to change lanes on its own. A driver can cancel an automated lane change that’s in progress at any time by using the turn-signal stalk, braking, or holding the steering wheel in place.

In practice, we found that the new Navigate on Autopilot lane changing feature lagged far behind a human driver’s skillset: The feature cut off cars without leaving enough space and even passed other cars in ways that violate state laws, according to several law enforcement representatives CR interviewed for this report. As a result, the driver often had to prevent the system from making poor decisions.

“The system’s role should be to help the driver, but the way this technology is deployed, it’s the other way around," says Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing. “It’s incredibly nearsighted. It doesn’t appear to react to brake lights or turn signals, it can’t anticipate what other drivers will do, and as a result, you constantly have to be one step ahead of it."

Despite Tesla’s promises that it will have full self-driving technology by the end of next year, our experience with Navigate on Autopilot suggests it will take longer. In addition, experts tell CR that the automatic lane-change feature demonstrates the technological limits of Tesla’s current hardware.

In early May, our Model 3 received a software update that allowed Navigate on Autopilot to make automatic lane changes without requiring driver confirmation. We enabled the feature and drove on several highways across Connecticut. In the process, multiple testers reported that the Tesla often changed lanes in ways that a safe human driver would not—cutting too closely in front of other cars, and passing on the right.

One area of particular concern is Tesla’s claims that the vehicle’s three rearward-facing cameras can detect fast-approaching objects from the rear better than the average driver can. Our testers found the opposite to be true in practice.

“The system has trouble responding to vehicles that approach quickly from behind," Fisher says. “Because of this, the system will often cut off a vehicle that is going a much faster speed since it doesn’t seem to sense the oncoming car until it’s relatively close."

Fisher says merging into traffic is another problem. “It is reluctant to merge in heavy traffic, but when it does, it often immediately applies the brakes to create space behind the follow car—this can be a rude surprise to the vehicle you cut off."

Our testers often canceled a pass that had been initiated by Autopilot—usually by applying steering force to move the car back into the travel lane—when they felt that the maneuver would be unsafe.

Ultimately, even in light traffic, our testers found that the system’s lack of situational awareness made driving less pleasant.

“In essence, the system does the easy stuff, but the human needs to intervene when things get more complicated," Fisher says.

When asked about the system’s performance, a Tesla spokesperson pointed us to a company blog post from April 3. “Through our internal testing and Early Access Program, more than half a million miles have already been driven with the lane change confirmation turned off," the post said. “Our team consistently reviews data from instances when drivers took over while the feature has been in use, and has found that when used properly both versions of Navigate on Autopilot offer comparable levels of safety. We’ve also heard overwhelmingly from drivers in our Early Access Program that they like using the feature for road trips and during their daily commutes, and we’re excited to release the option to the rest of the Tesla family."