Tesla Model S adaptive cruise control crashes into Van

> Here's another Tesla crash, from yesterday.[1] This is a Tesla rear-ending the corner of a stalled van on a highway. > [1] [VIDEO] minor nitpick but this video is from May, this didn't happen yesterday, did you mean to link another video?

That's part of the problem. Tesla has two basic problems with their "autopilot". One is hype, and one is bad technical design. Tesla's "autopilot" is just automatic lane keeping and automatic cruise control. Mercedes and BMW have been shipping that for years. The other car companies have hardware to check if the driver's hands are on the wheel. Tesla not only didn't do that, they hyped those basic functions as being an "autopilot", as if they had something comparable to what Google has. Tesla has significantly overhyped their technology, to a dangerous level. Here's another Tesla crash, from yesterday.[1] This is a Tesla rear-ending the corner of a stalled van on a highway. This may be an "automation in wrong mode" error, and complicated excuses from Tesla will probably be forthcoming. That's not good enough. Airline pilots get into "wrong mode" errors, and they get extensive training, including simulator time. Drivers don't get that. This driver presumably thought the automation would do something sensible in that situation. It didn't. The other big Tesla problem is a pure technical design error - the bumper-mounted radar is blind at windshield height. This is the immediate cause of the fatal accident involving under-running the semitrailer. It's also the cause of the parking accident with the truck with overhanging load sticking out the back.[2] Tesla's implementation has deadly blind spots. They need a radar at windshield-top height. It's quite likely, now that the NHTSA i

That's a superficial analysis. Tesla's MTBF has been discussed here before. For one thing, Tesla's auto-driving is only expected to work on freeway-type highways, and fatality rates for those are lower than for all driving. Tesla's "autopilot" now has a second fatality, in China.[1] There's dash cam video. "When it was approaching the road sweeper, the car didn’t put on the brake or avoid it,” a police officer said in the CCTV report. “Instead, it crashed right into it." Take a look at the photo. It's possible that the big rotating brush behind the street sweeper didn't produce a radar return. Remember, Tesla's radar is only at bumper height. Teslas are radar-blind at windshield height. The rear profile of the street sweeper truck, which is high off the ground, may not have been recognized as a vehicle by MobileEye, especially since the street sweeper is throwing up dust. Video: [2] So far, there seem to be at least two Tesla autopilot defects that can kill people: #1 is a high obstacle. That was the trailer crash fatality. It's also the auto-parking failure where the vehicle didn't stop for a truck with overhanging ladders out the rear.[4] Teslas are radar-blind at windshield height, and if it doesn't look like a car or truck rear end, the Mobileye vision system won't see it. #2 is a left side obstacle partially blocking a lane. There are two videos of crashes in this situation.[2][3] The "how big is the open space" vs the "how wide is the vehicle" analysis may be defective.

The dash cam video was only released last week, in conjunction with a lawsuit. Now it's on all the mainstream news outlets, from the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times to Fox News. This is yet another "Tesla hit slow/stopped vehicle on left of expressway" accident. There are now three of those known, two with video, one fatal. Watch the video. The vehicle is tracking the lane very accurately. Either the driver is very attentive or the lane following system has control. Then, with no slowdown whatsoever, the vehicle plows into a stopped or slow-moving street sweeper. Here's one of the other crashes in that situation.[1] This was slower, so it wasn't lethal. There's another one where a Tesla on autopilot sideswiped a vehicle stopped at the left side of an expressway. [1] [VIDEO]

Holtz's Twitter rant is at [1]. Cruise Automation was very lucky to be acquired by GM before they got a similar letter. Similarly, Otto being acquired by Uber. They were both proposing to sell similar add-on systems. Their valuations would have been much lower after receiving such letters. NHTSA has it right. "It is insufficient to assert, as you do, that 'your product does not remove any of the driver responsibilities from the task of driving'. As you are undoubtedly aware, there is a high likelihood that some drivers will use your product in a manner that exceeds its intended purpose." Did Tesla got a similar letter? They have exactly that problem and exactly the same excuse. Tesla claims “Autopilot is an assist feature. You need to maintain control and responsibility of your vehicle.” Here are three dashcam videos of Teslas crashing on autopilot. These are the three where there was a stopped vehicle partially blocking the left edge of the lane, and the Tesla plowed right into it. Tesla blames the driver. Looks like the NHTSA isn't buying that. [1] [LINK] [2] [LINK] [3] [LINK] [4] [VIDEO]

Reference for the 3 rammed cars "at speed"? Sideswipe of car stopped at inner edge of roadway in China: [LINK] Rammed stopped or slow moving street sweeper at inner edge of roadway in China. Driver killed: [LINK] Rammed stopped van at inner edge of roadway in Germany: [VIDEO] Those are all the same design flaw - a big solid obstacle partly blocking the lane was hit. These all have dashcam video on Youtube. One wonders how many more times this has happened without a dashcam. This list doesn't include ramming the semitrailer in Florida, another fatal event. (Ref NSTB investigation HWY16FH018). (There's some denial from Tesla fans, and Musk, about this.)

Teslas have a serious problem avoiding stationary objects in traffic lanes, especially when following traffic. If you search YouTube for Tesla accidents, there are a big group where the car is following traffic in its lane and it doesn't yield to some object in its lane. Over and over again. From OP: [LINK] Fatal crash in China: [LINK] Another Chinese accident: [LINK] One in Europe: [VIDEO] Another: [LINK] I don't know what system they're using, but they really need to get a handle on it. For as many accidents as they avoid, not hitting stopped objects is pretty important from a safety perspective.

The future is here, just not from Tesla. Waymo and Volvo have systems which actually work. Waymo has real situational awareness, watching other road users and predicting what they might do next. Tesla is mostly following the lines on the road and stopping for interfering traffic. Here's Tesla's "Autopilot" killing someone.[1] This is the Mobileye "does not recognize obstacles protruding into left edge of lane" bug. Here's another crash from that defect.[2] Here's Tesla's "Autopilot" hitting a traffic barrier.[3] Again, it's an obstacle at the left edge of a lane. This is what happens when you take Level 2 lane-keeping and automatic cruise control and hype it into automatic driving. Other carmakers have offered comparable systems, but with much stronger driver-must-have-hands-on-wheel enforcement. Tesla didn't do that, encouraging drivers to relax and let the computers drive. Waymo and Volvo take the position that when the automatic system is in control, the manufacturer is responsible. Tesla tries to blame the driver. (Been there, done that. Ran a DARPA Grand Challenge team 2003-2005. Too old now to work on this.) [1] [LINK] [2] [VIDEO] [3] [LINK]