The American organization Consumer Reports has evaluated twelve autonomous driving systems. And Tesla’s Autopilot lags behind those of Ford, General Motors and Mercedes. The American firm went from 2nd to 7th place in the ranking in one year. We explain why.
Arriving in 2015 on the Model S, the Autopilot semi-autonomous driving system developed by Tesla was at the time one of the most advanced on the market. This is then associated as a reminder adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist, allowing the car to drive without driver assistance in fast lanes. However, you must keep your hands on the wheel, in accordance with the level 2 autonomous driving regulations.
A sharp decline
Since its debut, Tesla’s hands-free driving has only gotten better, as the brand also offers FSD (Full Autonomous Driving) in beta testing in the US. This then takes the theoretical form of a 3 level systembut legally it is a level 2 system. This means that the driver is still liable in the event of an accident, unlike level 3.
However, in recent years, many accidents have damaged Tesla’s reputation for autonomous driving, while a new investigation has just been opened after a deadly collision in the United States.
So much so that Autopilot, already under legal charges for deception, is no longer one of the most efficient autonomous driving systems on the market. In any case, this is what the experts believe. Consumer Reports, American version of 60 Million Consumers. In fact, the American organization has tested 12 technologies currently on the marketall summarized in a video published in Youtube.
If we thought that Tesla offered one of the most advanced systems, the organization actually proves us otherwise. A real setback for the manufacturer, which then goes from 2nd place last year to 7th place. But then, how is this explained? According to Consumer Reports, broadcast by the US agency ReutersThe autopilot has never really evolved in its functionality over the years, but it has added additional features.
Despite this, the system does not yet allow for collaborative leadership and does not have a driver monitoring system effective“. However, the brand’s cars are well equipped with a camera designed to detect the level of attention of the person driving the alert if they are not paying attention. But that doesn’t seem to be enough, especially since some drivers have found the parade to keep the car moving in autonomous mode without having to keep your hands on the wheel or look at the road.
ford on top
Currently, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), the equivalent of Highway Safety in the United States, investigates 830,000 brand cars after a series of accidents involving emergency vehicles. No less than 362,000 vehicles were even “recalled” a few days ago by the authorities, so Tesla reworked the FSD software, which would not respect the highway code.
The latter should be improved thanks to the arrival of Hardware 4, which will be inaugurated in the Cybertruck. Then it could sign the return of the radar, currently replaced by cameras through the Tesla Vision system. Mercedes, for its part, has decided to take the opposite path, equipping its future cars with a LiDAR sensor. The star’s firm then surpassed Tesla with its Drive Pilot system by placing itself in third place in the Consumer Reports ranking, just behind General Motors Super Cruiser and Ford’s BlueCruise, which is next in first place.
Why is Tesla plummeting in the rankings?
To justify this classification, the American organization highlights two important characteristics according to him. The first is the ability to manually correct the location of the lane, acting on the steering wheel, without deactivating autonomous driving. Very practical to let a motorcycle or an emergency vehicle pass. The second is the fact monitor the driver’s attention via a camera, so the driver does not need to hold the steering wheel. Two points that are not supported by Tesla at the moment.
Ford recently announced that it has decided to stop working on autonomous driving. Thus, it could be that Mercedes continues to get ahead of its rivals, while it is the only brand approved to offer level 3 autonomous driving in Europe, as well as in the State of Nevada, in the United States with its EQS. Other brands are also aiming at this level, such as Volvo with its EX90, Lotus with its Eletre or Nio with its recently introduced EC7.
At the moment, level 3 autonomous driving, that is, without paying attention to what is happening on the road, is authorized in Europe and in France, up to a speed of 130 km/h. However, the Drive Pilot system is limited to 90 km/h, but this could change soon thanks to the adoption of a new LiDAR. This could be inaugurated in the future Class E whose interior has just been presented.
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