http://calgaryherald.com/news/traffic/heres-what-happens-when-a-bike-blogger-test-drives-teslas-autopilot Here's what happens when a bike blogger test drives Tesla's autopilot November 18, 2015 Tom Babin
[image https://postmediacalgaryherald2.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/gavin-young-calgary-herald-calgary-ab-november-12-20153.jpeg?w=640&quality=55&strip=all That’s me driving the Tesla Model S under the careful guidance of Tesla spokesman Matthew Schulwitz. Gavin Young / Calgary Herald video flash ] It wasn’t the moment when the car started driving itself that got me. I was expecting that. It was when the car, on autopilot, approached a line of vehicles stopped at a red light. With my foot anxiously hovering over the brake pedal, the car eased itself to a stop and I breathed a little sigh of relief. This autopilot thing just might work. Reams of ink have been spilled in recent weeks over the release of the new electric Tesla Model S and it’s innovative autopilot mode, which is the car industry’s latest step toward fully autonomous vehicles. Most of that ink has been gushing in praise. So when I was offered a test drive by Tesla, in anticipation of the Friday opening of the U.S. company’s store in Chinook Centre, its first in Calgary, I jumped at the chance. So why is a guy who spends most of his commuting time on a bike, and the rest of it complaining about having to drive, testing a car? I admit to lacking a little immunity to the tech-industry buzz over Tesla and its founder Elon Musk. And Tesla’s autopilot just sounded really cool. But mostly I’m interested in the implications of autonomous vehicles on our lives. One of the reasons I love cycling is what it does for cities. I love how people on bikes tend to calm the buzz of traffic. I love how bikes bring a little more humanity to our streets. I love how riding a bike connects us more closely to our communities and neighbourhoods. Cars tend to do the opposite of all of that. I’ve been closely watching the development of self-driving vehicles for years, mostly with a sense of dread. I’m no futurist, but it’s not a leap to think anything that makes driving easier will make some of our acute urban problems worse. More cars, more congestion, and more demand for limited space. Still, I’ll refrain from the long-view speculation in favour of the reality facing us right now. Tesla’s Model S isn’t an autonomous vehicle. It still requires an attentive and responsible driver. But being behind the wheel gave me something new to think about. The car, as a piece of technology, is dazzling. Driving it reminded me of the first time I used an iPhone, equal parts tech-geek-out and baffling magic. It feels like the future. Watch the video above for more on the car, and my rather embarrassing reactions to it (keep in mind, I normally drive a 2008 four-door Toyota with rust spots, and not a luxury vehicle that can run you up to $100,000). What lingered on my mind after driving the Tesla (other than my whiplash-induced neck stiffness from the aptly named Ludicrous Speed mode) was the autopilot mode. After I got over the initial buzz at having the car steer itself, the experience felt — and I’m struggling to think of the right word here — civilized. In a less charitable mood, I might even say it was kind of boring. I don’t mean that in a negative way. It may be the saving grace of autopilot. One of the challenges of walking or riding a bike in most North American cities these days is the hostility created by the sheer volume of cars. Cyclists and pedestrians are always having to look over their shoulder lest some distracted hockey dad tries to tweet his lunch while barrelling onto a sidewalk. Those are human failings, precipitated mostly by emotion and irrationality. In the Tesla, once I locked into autopilot mode, I felt, in a small way, those emotions fade. I simply sat back and watched. I was still responsible, so I wasn’t going to have a nap, but that low-level car-crash anxiety that most of us have embedded felt dialled down a notch. I don’t want to overstate things, but turning over the massive responsibility of driving felt good. It felt like the difference between driving and being a passenger. Have you ever seen a passenger have a case of road rage or distracted driving? If our current fleet of motor vehicles is transformed over the coming decades to autopilots or autonomous vehicles, our biggest urban transportation problem — congestion — won’t be solved. It might even be exacerbated. That’s a problem we need to truly need to face. Until then, however, if the technology can make roads safer, quieter and cleaner (thanks, electric engine) and a little more civilized for people walking, cycling and driving, it can’t be all bad. I don’t plan on giving up my bike any time soon, but if I’m surrounded by cars being autopiloted, my commute might get a little bit better. [© 2015 Postmedia Network] http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1880456/hands-autopilot-function-tesla-disables-feature-hong-kong Tesla removes autopilot from Hong Kong cars to keep within law 19 November, 2015 http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Tesla-removes-autopilot-from-Hong-Kong-cn-EVs-to-keep-within-law-tp4678832.html For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Bicycling-blogger-test-drives-Tesla-S-EV-autopilot-v-tp4678841.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
