Tesla no longer allowed to call self drive "autopilot" in Germany

[Master Disaster]

The Federal Motor Transport Authority of Germany today have confirmed they have ordered Tesla to stop using the term "autopilot" in reference to their self driving vehicles on the basis of it being "misleading"

Quote

Tesla has been ordered to drop the Autopilot brand name, which it uses to promote its driver-assistance software, in Germany.

 

The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) confirmed it had told Tesla to scrap the "misleading" term.

 

It said the term gave customers "incorrect expectations" that they could stop concentrating on the road and let Autopilot take over completely.

 

Tesla said it had always told drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.

 

The Autopilot software helps cars:

stay in lane automatically

adjust their speed in reaction to other vehicles

change lane without the driver's intervention

 

However, Tesla has been clear that the feature should only be used on the motorway, and drivers must still pay full attention to the road.

 

The firm has been under scrutiny after one of its vehicles running Autopilot crashed, killing the owner.

 

"It can be confirmed that a letter to Tesla exists with the request to no longer use the misleading term Autopilot for the driver-assistance system of the car," a KBA spokeswoman told news agency Reuters.

Teslas genuine response has been "well they use autopilot in aviation" ...

Quote

In a statement, Tesla said the term autopilot had been used in aviation for decades.

 

"Tesla's Autopilot operates in conjunction with the human driver to make driving safer and less stressful. This is how the term has been used for decades in aerospace: to denote a support system that operates under the direct supervision of a human pilot," the company said.

 

"We have always been clear with our customers that Autopilot is a drivers assistance system that requires the driver to pay attention at all times.

 

"Just as in an airplane, when used properly, Autopilot reduces driver workload and provides an added layer of safety when compared to purely manual driving."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37676858

 

LOL, so if it used in aviation then its OK to use it on a car? I mean its not like pilots requires hundreds of hours of training on aeroplane systems before they're allowed to fly on them and fully understand that "autopilot" is not actualy an "automatic pilot" (although I believe the aviation system is capable of much greater control over a plane than Teslas system is over a car?).

 

I wonder how long it will be before other countries follow suit and ban the term "autopilot"?

[AlTech]

6 minutes ago, Master Disaster said:

The Federal Motor Transport Authority of Germany today have confirmed they have ordered Tesla to stop using the term "autopilot" in reference to their self driving vehicles on the basis of it being "misleading"

Teslas genuine response has been "well they use autopilot in aviation" ...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37676858

 

LOL, so if it used in aviation then its OK to use it on a car? I mean its not like pilots requires hundreds of hours of training on aeroplane systems before they're allowed to fly on them and fully understand that "autopilot" is not actualy an "automatic pilot" (although I believe the aviation system is capable of much greater control over a plane than Teslas system is over a car?).

 

I wonder how long it will be before other countries follow suit and ban the term "autopilot"?

Banning the word Autopilot on a car should result in autopilots being banned on airplanes just to ensure everybody understand how stupid this is.

 

Autopilot is not misleading. Those people who take their hand off the wheel do not understand the word Autopilot.

[Dredgy]

6 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Banning the word Autopilot on a car should result in autopilots being banned on airplanes just to ensure everybody understand how stupid this is.

Pilots are well-trained in operation of autopilot. Car drivers are not - most people don't know how to use an indicator.

[Master Disaster]

1 minute ago, AluminiumTech said:

Banning the word Autopilot on a car should result in autopilots being banned on airplanes just to ensure everybody understand how stupid this is.

 

Autopilot is not misleading. Those people who take their hand off the wheel do not understand the word Autopilot.

Huge difference though, as I said, Pilots have to go through hundreds of hours of training to use the system on planes. The fully understand its capabilities and weaknesses and know EXACTLY what to do if things go wrong.

 

Drivers of Teslas are getting zero training on a system which is being termed Automatic and still hasn't left BETA development phase.

 

Plus lets not forget the real weakness of any system intended for general public usage, the general public. Your always going to get the idiots who do 100mph down the road with no hands of the wheels filming themselves with their phones while screaming Yee Haw out of the window the the other motorists. Being a pilot is a trusted position, to even get the job you must be vetted, then there is training and even then you can't fly solo for a while. Literally anyone of legal age can go buy a Tesla right now and autopilot the thing out of the showroom without even opening the manual for the car.

[SaladFingers]

All of this drama just because of a name....

 

I say ban retards from driving that piece of technology rather than playing name games. This world is coming closer and closer to Idiocracy it's insane...

[Tataffe]

Tesla's response is stupid. An aviation autopilot lets the pilot take his hands (and feet, for that matter) off the controls. For hours. In my opinion, Tesla misused the term to make their driver assist systems look better or more advanced than they really are.

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

Well... The cars aren't planes...

[dragosudeki]

Next:

 

All cars are to replace the term "cruise control", because a car ain't a cruise you damn fools. (Yes, cruise does have multiple meanings :P)

 

I don't see anything wrong with the term though. People should know that the plane isn't the same as the car, but the ideas are somewhat similar.

[TheMcSame]

What's so misleading about it? The car drives itself where possible... Autopilot in planes is much more sophisticated simply because it's had longer to mature (even then, it only works in select situations), early autopilot systems in aviation could only hold a vehicle's orientation, but at the end of the day, it was still autopilot...

 

I sure hope the German public isn't as dumb as the the KBA...

[Phate.exe]

1 hour ago, Tataffe said:

Tesla's response is stupid. An aviation autopilot lets the pilot take his hands (and feet, for that matter) off the controls. For hours. In my opinion, Tesla misused the term to make their driver assist systems look better or more advanced than they really are.

Well yeah.  If they called it "Advanced Cruise Control with Lane Keep Assist", it wouldn't sound any more special than the systems that Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, and other automakers have available.  Then a tesla is just an overpowered electric sedan/minivan with an entry-level luxury car interior and really stupid doors on the minivan model.

 

It's an advanced cruise control system that is capable of handling lane changes, highway curves, and speed adjustments based on traffic.  Much beyond that, I probably wouldn't trust it too much.  Turn it on in stop and go traffic jams, or for a long highway cruise (although obviously not for too long, because electric) to make your life less miserable, but don't expect the thing to safely drive you door-to-door.

[bigneo]

whatever....

[tlink]

eh, its fair i would say. autopilot implies a system that can pilot the car for you in any situation, while something like advanced dynamic cruise control implies more that it can take some pressure off you.

[Rune]

How about adding a nonskippable training video before activating autopilot (in addition to the checkbox they have currently)?

[Misanthrope]

About fucking time. It still baffles me how they went "Here's the Autopilot feature: it does not automatically pilot your vehicule"

[Fetzie]

13 minutes ago, Rune said:

How about adding a nonskippable training video before activating autopilot (in addition to the checkbox they have currently)?

How many people actually pay attention to the safety briefing on airplanes?

 

Probably the same proportion that would watch a safety video about how to use Tesla Autopilot.

[Rune]

17 minutes ago, Fetzie said:

How many people actually pay attention to the safety briefing on airplanes?

 

Probably the same proportion that would watch a safety video about how to use Tesla Autopilot.

If people don't pay attention to the safety briefings, the airlines don't remove access to the emergency exits or call them something else. The people who are idiots get blamed for it if the need arises.

[Sauron]

4 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

The Federal Motor Transport Authority of Germany today have confirmed they have ordered Tesla to stop using the term "autopilot" in reference to their self driving vehicles on the basis of it being "misleading"

Teslas genuine response has been "well they use autopilot in aviation" ...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37676858

 

LOL, so if it used in aviation then its OK to use it on a car? I mean its not like pilots requires hundreds of hours of training on aeroplane systems before they're allowed to fly on them and fully understand that "autopilot" is not actualy an "automatic pilot" (although I believe the aviation system is capable of much greater control over a plane than Teslas system is over a car?).

 

I wonder how long it will be before other countries follow suit and ban the term "autopilot"?

You need to pass a test to drive a car as well... the correct response is to introduce the concept in driving schools, not to ban a word because retards either can't bother to inform themselves on what an advanced function actually does or understand the implications and still choose to play candy crush instead of watching the road.

 

The "safety belt" also doesn't make you 100% "safe", is that false advertisement? Or maybe, if the driver doesn't pay attention because he thinks the belt makes him invulnerable we should hold HIM(/her) responsible?

[dragosudeki]

2 hours ago, Phate.exe said:

It's an advanced cruise control system that is capable of handling lane changes, highway curves, and speed adjustments based on traffic.  Much beyond that, I probably wouldn't trust it too much.  Turn it on in stop and go traffic jams, or for a long highway cruise (although obviously not for too long, because electric) to make your life less miserable, but don't expect the thing to safely drive you door-to-door.

Funny thing is generally the pilot handles both liftoff and landing. So, technically, the term autopilot itself was at first misleading in avionics. But nobody complained back then...

Only recently has it evolved to where some planes actually have the autopilot do both those things, so what's stopping the Tesla autopilot from evolving into something that handles everything? Even in airplanes, the pilot should still be aware of what is happening and not asleep at the controls when autopilot is on.

[Brian McKee]

4 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Huge difference though, as I said, Pilots have to go through hundreds of hours of training to use the system on planes. The fully understand its capabilities and weaknesses and know EXACTLY what to do if things go wrong.

When it comes to Aerospace there is a 0% tolerance for accidents. This isn't the case for road vehicles as such pre-requisites would be asinine and offset any convenience. We take the risks of crashes as a fact of life for what driving gives the average person.

 

Not that this has anything to do with the terminology used by Tesla since they're using it correctly. Tesla never claimed that cars will drive themselves without human assistance, those cars will be advertised as SELF DRIVING, not AUTOPILOT. It's a big distinction, and I think it's one that will become more clear as full self driving cars hit the market.

 

 

[Necrodead]

As a person who holds a commercial aviation licence, I can tell you that depending on the model of the autopilot, the autopilot can and will, take off, land and fly the whole route if programmed correctly. Of course pilots are trained in their use for years, but most autopilots will do everything.

 

What tesla is calling autopilot is more like the trim feature that will hold you at altitude and heading but nothing else.

[Monkey Dust]

People post videos of themselves dicking about in Teslas with the autopilot feature engaged, and one guy dies while watching Harry Potter. Changing the name to something more suggestive of a driving aid, rather than an autonomous vehicle, is pretty good idea IMO. 

[spartaman64]

2 hours ago, Sauron said:

You need to pass a test to drive a car as well... the correct response is to introduce the concept in driving schools, not to ban a word because retards either can't bother to inform themselves on what an advanced function actually does or understand the implications and still choose to play candy crush instead of watching the road.

 

The "safety belt" also doesn't make you 100% "safe", is that false advertisement? Or maybe, if the driver doesn't pay attention because he thinks the belt makes him invulnerable we should hold HIM(/her) responsible?

the test to drive a car at least in my city is really easy. they dont even test parking you just drive in a circle 2 times around a block and they give you your license 

[spartaman64]

2 hours ago, dragosudeki said:

Funny thing is generally the pilot handles both liftoff and landing. So, technically, the term autopilot itself was at first misleading in avionics. But nobody complained back then...

Only recently has it evolved to where some planes actually have the autopilot do both those things, so what's stopping the Tesla autopilot from evolving into something that handles everything? Even in airplanes, the pilot should still be aware of what is happening and not asleep at the controls when autopilot is on.

many modern planes can take off and land by themselves. the pilot doing it is a safety precaution. and many times if there is poor visibility the pilot will have the plane land itself

[Sauron]

8 minutes ago, spartaman64 said:

the test to drive a car at least in my city is really easy. they dont even test parking you just drive in a circle 2 times around a block and they give you your license 

Let's change that instead of fighting meaningless wording battles, shall we?

[spartaman64]

4 minutes ago, Sauron said:

Let's change that instead of fighting meaningless wording battles, shall we?

doesnt have a direct connection with AP and im not in germany so germany cant do anything about this. AP has a connotation that it is fully autonomous while advanced cruise control suggests that its just an assistance.