I am very strongly considering getting one of those devices that disables the nag in the autopilot because I can no longer use it reliably since it was updated to be so frequent.
I am a long time Autopilot user. We did an over 5000 mile road trip in our 2015 Model S, I did most of the driving, and it was mostly on (Mobile-eye) Autopilot.
We did a 1200 mile road trip in 2017 in our April 2017 Model X (Autopilot 2.0).
I have done countless 40-100 mile day trips in both cars.
I have long been a fan of Autopilot, and I have told people that I think it makes me a safer driver, because I can increase my situational awareness, due to having more mental capacity to focus on it, because I do not have to focus as much on maintaining lane position and following distance. I always keep my hands on the wheel when autopilot is engaged, but I have been trained to keep a loose grip, due to early disengagements of autopilot if I was applying too much force.
We no longer have the 2015 Model S, I upgraded to a performance Model 3.
Since the big update (and in every subsequent update, including the 9.0 update we received today), I have had an extremely hard time keeping Autopilot even engaged for about an hour in our Model X. (We use that exclusively for family trips). Just today, I was unable to drive about 45 miles, I think I made it about 30 miles when I received the red 'Autopilot has been disengaged do to inattention' warning and it was disabled.
Ever since the update, I have to spend more and more mental energy playing the 'Autopilot game' and less on paying attention to the road. I have to be hyper vigilant to notice when the screen starts flashing, because if I wait until it beeps, then that's one of my three strikes before disabling autopilot. I would guess you have about 5-8 seconds from the first flash before the beep and it is too late, which means I need to glance down at the controls about every 5 seconds, which is much more frequently than I would normally do it.
I used to shake the wheel back and forth (just enough to trigger the sensors but not enough to disengage the autopilot) every time I got the warning, but I know about the recent update that lets you turn the thumb wheels instead, so I now do that. In fact, when I am paying attention, I try to play the autopilot game by nudging the volume wheel back and forth one notch constantly so I will not get nagged. But it is not habit yet, and I have think about it constantly, and I failed 3 times today (the kids were being kids after a long day out) and then Autopilot was disabled again. I'm not sure if I have been able to manage an hour trip with autopilot since that update which made it impossible to use.
We have a long road trip planned for thanksgiving, and unless Tesla does an update, I am not sure there is another solution other than a defeat device for me.
I know I am 'supposed' to just hold the wheel tighter, and I have tried to do that, but my hands end up hurting after a short period, or I stop thinking hard about holding them stiff and I get warned anyway (and my hands hurt). I have tried a different wheel position (at the bottom pulling down, etc) but nothing feels natural or right.
Has anyone used one of these devices? Do they interfere with your driving? I want to be able to keep my hands on the wheel and drive normally without feeling extra friction in the wheel.
I feel like I have been penalized, even though I was using the system correctly, in order to cover Tesla legally for those who were using the system incorrectly and I am very frustrated about it. If Tesla continues to use steering wheel tension sensors to detect engagement, it makes me much more likely to jump ship to a different maker EV, once there is a reasonable alternative. I wish they used a camera instead. (It would also be much better at instantly taking over when the driver collapsed due to a medical condition).
bws
I am a long time Autopilot user. We did an over 5000 mile road trip in our 2015 Model S, I did most of the driving, and it was mostly on (Mobile-eye) Autopilot.
We did a 1200 mile road trip in 2017 in our April 2017 Model X (Autopilot 2.0).
I have done countless 40-100 mile day trips in both cars.
I have long been a fan of Autopilot, and I have told people that I think it makes me a safer driver, because I can increase my situational awareness, due to having more mental capacity to focus on it, because I do not have to focus as much on maintaining lane position and following distance. I always keep my hands on the wheel when autopilot is engaged, but I have been trained to keep a loose grip, due to early disengagements of autopilot if I was applying too much force.
We no longer have the 2015 Model S, I upgraded to a performance Model 3.
Since the big update (and in every subsequent update, including the 9.0 update we received today), I have had an extremely hard time keeping Autopilot even engaged for about an hour in our Model X. (We use that exclusively for family trips). Just today, I was unable to drive about 45 miles, I think I made it about 30 miles when I received the red 'Autopilot has been disengaged do to inattention' warning and it was disabled.
Ever since the update, I have to spend more and more mental energy playing the 'Autopilot game' and less on paying attention to the road. I have to be hyper vigilant to notice when the screen starts flashing, because if I wait until it beeps, then that's one of my three strikes before disabling autopilot. I would guess you have about 5-8 seconds from the first flash before the beep and it is too late, which means I need to glance down at the controls about every 5 seconds, which is much more frequently than I would normally do it.
I used to shake the wheel back and forth (just enough to trigger the sensors but not enough to disengage the autopilot) every time I got the warning, but I know about the recent update that lets you turn the thumb wheels instead, so I now do that. In fact, when I am paying attention, I try to play the autopilot game by nudging the volume wheel back and forth one notch constantly so I will not get nagged. But it is not habit yet, and I have think about it constantly, and I failed 3 times today (the kids were being kids after a long day out) and then Autopilot was disabled again. I'm not sure if I have been able to manage an hour trip with autopilot since that update which made it impossible to use.
We have a long road trip planned for thanksgiving, and unless Tesla does an update, I am not sure there is another solution other than a defeat device for me.
I know I am 'supposed' to just hold the wheel tighter, and I have tried to do that, but my hands end up hurting after a short period, or I stop thinking hard about holding them stiff and I get warned anyway (and my hands hurt). I have tried a different wheel position (at the bottom pulling down, etc) but nothing feels natural or right.
Has anyone used one of these devices? Do they interfere with your driving? I want to be able to keep my hands on the wheel and drive normally without feeling extra friction in the wheel.
I feel like I have been penalized, even though I was using the system correctly, in order to cover Tesla legally for those who were using the system incorrectly and I am very frustrated about it. If Tesla continues to use steering wheel tension sensors to detect engagement, it makes me much more likely to jump ship to a different maker EV, once there is a reasonable alternative. I wish they used a camera instead. (It would also be much better at instantly taking over when the driver collapsed due to a medical condition).
bws