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Adaptive Cruise Control

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Yes Lexus , Mercedes and Volvo all have systems that will slow the car down. And the Volvo will actually stop the car if it is going less than like 12 mph. But if you are slowing the car down why not stop it if necessary !?!?!?!!? Say the car in front of you slams on the brakes if they come to a complete stop why not make your car stop also ?!?!!? Does not seem like rocket science to me ....
 
Has anyone actually driven a car with ACC? How well does it work on congested highway use ? does it keep the distance too far ? in other words would people be cutting in front of you because there was too much space and then it would constantly be slowing you down ? just curious...
 
Maybe I'm missing the point here... but if the car in front of me slams on the brakes, I'm going to be slamming on the brakes as well... I wouldn't trust that the car would understand the severity of the situation -- plus it's just reflex.
 
I love it and want it on every car from now on. The smart cruise control feature is second favorite only to keyless enrty/ignition.

It's what cruise control should be.

Mine has three 'closeness' settings. Will not come to a complete stop. (I have never had enough nerve to fully test it into a solid object but it seems to beep and kick off at around 25mph)

There is another great steering wheel feature that each time you reclick the set switch it increases your speed by 1 mph and if you hold it it jumps by 5mph -goes up or down. Very handy.

Since this feature drives smarter than me it saves a lot of fuel. Should absolutely be required on an Electric Car.

Cons. Sometimes it brakes when a semi is in front of me but in the lane to the right and sometimes brakes in tight mountain roads when it thinks I'm about to run into a rockface. Brake lights come on but it seems to be only under hard braking.

Another problem is when I'm in a rental car that I forget that the cruise control is "stupid" and I get quite a shock when it cruises me right up to the back of the car in front of me:eek:.
 
Maybe I'm missing the point here... but if the car in front of me slams on the brakes, I'm going to be slamming on the brakes as well... I wouldn't trust that the car would understand the severity of the situation -- plus it's just reflex.


Some people can get distracted while driving. Some situations come on too sudenly for human response... I am just saying if it can SLOW the car why not be ABLE to STOP it if necessary.
 
I asked him if the Model S would offer it and he said that "it hasn't even been brought up or discussed".

I will reiterate my earlier comment about how much this ACC refines acceleration and braking so it increases miles traveled on a charge.

I'm sure there have been studies done by Autocruise, Delphi and the various other manufactures of ACC as to how much can be gained in freeway and low-speed driving using the automated feature over inefficient human driving.

This feature was first introduced in 2000 so by the time the Model S comes out it will be 12 year old technology.
In 2006, Toyota introduced its "all-speed tracking function" for the Lexus LS 460. This system maintains continuous control from speeds of 0 km/h to 100km/h and is designed to work under repeated starting and stopping situations such as highway traffic congestion.

Note for Franz: The are less expensive laser versions but the various radar devices can be behind plastic grillwork and Toyota/Lexus has been hiding the radar in the font emblem like on the 2009 Lexus 570.
The LX has become a technology showcase for Lexus.It is the first Lexus to offer a wide-view front and side monitor system for hard-to-see areas, and incorporates the new Adaptive Radar Cruise Control and Pre-Collision System.....Cameras are located inside the grille and side view mirrors, and the radar antenna is located behind the Lexus emblem in the front grille. ...
 
AutoBlogGreen writes about using Audi's ACC for getting better mileage.


Even at this distance, there is still a noticeable impact on mileage when following a truck. It turns out that at 70 mph using the adaptive cruise control is good for about 1.5-2 mpg improvement in efficiency compared to running in clear air. Moving in tight really only picks about another 0.5 mpg. At the same time if the vehicle you are following slows, your vehicle will also slow to maintain the distance. In the case of the Q7's ACC it will bring the vehicle down to a complete stop, unlike many such systems that deactivate at 15-20 mph.

According to Audi engineer Gunter Schiele, the Q7 ACC has been calibrated specifically to maximize both comfort and fuel efficiency. Often traditional cruise control systems try to maintain the set vehicle speed aggressively which leads to the transmission down shifting and hard acceleration. With the focus on comfort, the Audi's acceleration is kept moderate. The result is smooth behavior that also allows for decent fuel efficiency.
 
Yeah - we have to remember that this is a prototype and two years from production. Although I would say that cancelling a Roadster because it doesn't have this feature is a bit extreme - it is after all a sports car and a different type of car altogether to what the Model S is aspiring to be.
 
Sorry to say it, but sounds to me like you really shouldn't get the Roadster. No point in buying something you're pretty sure you'll be unhappy with before hand. And if you're not into roadsters to begin with, the lack of adaptive cruise control will likely be the least of your complaints.
 
That's likely to raise some eyebrows @ TM HQ

I've already told Elon (via email) and Zak (in person) how important it is to me. I'm just one weirdo, so I'm sure they just dismiss it. If they hear several people complaining about ACC then maybe they'll think about it. They seem to be scrambling to find new expensive options to offer in order to increase their per-car profit, so hopefully they'll start offering it in the future.

If I had a ton of money and could afford to buy the Roadster as just a weekend toy, then I wouldn't be as critical of it. My reality is that I can barely afford it and I'm going to have to sell my existing car to help pay for it, so the Roadster is going to have to be my primary car and is going to have to earn it's keep.
 
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Since the Roadster and the model S are both software controlled, I would think it should be easy to download a simple software upgrade to add this capability, should they choose to offer it after production - and the only actual modification to the car would be a radar sensor inside the grille.
 
2010 Prius options...
...Also new to Toyota is an available Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system that uses advanced millimeter wave radar. The system also enables Lane Keep Assist, which helps the driver stay safely within the lane, and the Pre-Collision System, which retracts seatbelts and applies the brakes in certain conditions when a crash is unavoidable...


 
Yeah, in post#9 I mentioned that the new Prius had Adaptive Cruise Control. It's pretty sad when such a cheap car has it, but the super expensive Roadster doesn't, and it looks like the Fisker and the Model S won't have it either. Really sad.