Isn’t it about time the NHTSA put a stop to Tesla using the public as beta testers?
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Statements like this remind me that an entire generation or more only understands the concept of software updates to fix issues that existed at time of release. In the 80’s and well into the 90’s PC games and most software just worked. Sure there were revision releases to address minor issues, but for the most part software just worked. Yes, compared to games or programs today they were tiny and relatively simple in nature. The same should exist for any automobile. If it’s a software update for your nav/entertainment system, fine (unless that’s literally the only interface to the car - insert expletive about designers/engineers and form over function). If a serious, like life or death, scenario can exist for the brains of the vehicle then the engineers failed to do their job - and that fix needs to be a formal recall. Sometimes tweaks need to happen because no amount of testing real or in practice can equal the amount of data you can pull from thousands of drivers.
I have fears about charging an EV inside my basement garage. It’s one thing to charge a laptop or cordless power tool battery. But scaling that up to +100x worries me that one sensor goes rouge and then you end up in a run away thermal cascade. It might just be me, but I get the feeling a li-ion fire isn’t a simple thing to put out.
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Most of the “important” parts of driving (as in, the parts where squishy things get squished if things go wrong) are edge cases. Automation systems need to tolerate edge cases, even the most unpredictable ones, gracefully. This is why level 5 self-driving is always “just a year off”.
Related: did you know that a region can have finite area but infinite perimeter?
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I blame NASA for the change in attitude. They’ve been pushing out software updates to their vehicles over the air for decades now.
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When did Tesla outsource their software to Boeing?
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You’d change your mind if you drove on our highways.
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Indeed. Grand Theft Auto comes to mind driving around the DC area.
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Nice Tesla hit & run piece. So if some VWs engine seizes on the motorway are you going to hold Herbert Deiss personally responsible? Didn’t think so. You’ll notice this guy was able to safely brake to a stop despite the issue.
To drive at 105 with the clutch in is really idiotic.
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Nope.
We noticed.
Welcome to BoingBoing!
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According to the linked article, the source of which was the driver of the car, he couldn’t put on his turn signals, hazards, or accelerate, but he could brake and turn.
That’s definitely a lot more worrisome than just the info screen freezing.
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I was in software development in the 80s and 90s and I know we pushed out software updates back then because I remember building updaters that had to fit on the smallest possible number of floppy disks. And I know we weren’t the only ones because there was a whole tools category to do the updates.
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He has adult supervision with the spaceship company. Also rocket scientists.
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And an extra fee if you want them without ads.
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People have been mentioning other car models. We drive a Ford C-max (it’s my wife’s car, but since mine died, it’s our only vehicle). On the Motorway (==Freeway, American Dudes) suddenly a number of warning lights came on, flickered for a few seconds, and switched off again. And then it happened again. And again.We got home, but in a state of subdued panic. The garage couldn’t find anything wrong - “possibly a loose connection”. Then one rear light failed. We took it in because you need to dismantle half the car to change a lightbulb these days. They found out that water had leaked onto the motherboard behind the dashboard, and corroded it. There was nothing wrong with the lightbulb. Our Hero Mechanic found us a replacement motherboard, caulked sealant everywhere he could and the car behaves itself again - but he showed it to us in full berserk mode, with warning lights flashing on and off, and indicators intermittently refusing to work , and one headlight on all the time the engine was on. Having worked in IT for thirty years, the idea of putting computers in cars does not fill me with confidence.
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Keeping up with traffic is not a valid excuse for speeding. Not just because it’s illegal but because it’s often dangerous. Move to the right and let the speeders go by.
From the video clip, it’s not obvious there was traffic to keep up with. He was in the left lane (of two) blowing past a truck and there didn’t appear to be anyone ahead of him.
In California, 15 mph over the safe speed is generally considered reckless driving. Stretches of I-10 through the desert are posted as 70 mph exceptions to the 65 mph statewide speed limit. Calling 83 mph “freeway speed” is misleading. Sure, there are speeders out there occasionally doing that or worse, but it’s by no means a typical freeway speed.
Recording video of the event with one hand on your cell phone while driving a speeding car you believe to be out of control is ridiculous. And illegal.
It really sucks that the malfunction meant the turn signals and hazard lights failed, but the steering and brakes (and accelerator?) continued to operate, which allowed for the driver to safely pull off the road and stop the vehicle. So kudos to the Tesla engineers who implemented ways to keep the car’s essential functions operating even when the main computer was offline. I’ve found myself with far less control over my traditional cars when something essential fails, like the alternator.
I wonder if the driver, believing the signals to be inoperable, tried lowering the window in order to use hand signals.
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This topic is temporarily closed for at least 4 hours due to a large number of community flags.
This topic was automatically opened after 4 hours.
The unintended acceleration problems in the Prius were never substantiated beyond witness reports, but the Camrys (Camries?) definitely had bad engine control software that could have caused unintended acceleration and a failure to log any error codes for later analysis.
The brakes should always be stronger than the engine and able to stop the car eventually. If I recall correctly, the trick needed to get the watchdog to restart the errant Camry throttle control system required the driver to momentarily release the brake pedal completely, which is not very intuitive when your car is already going way too fast.
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