{"id":23371,"date":"2022-05-29T09:04:03","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T13:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=23371"},"modified":"2022-05-29T09:04:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-29T13:04:03","slug":"tesla-autopilot-explainer-not-full-self-driving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=23371","title":{"rendered":"What is Tesla AutoPilot, and is it really Full Self-Driving?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The world of \u201cself-driving\u201d is rife with all kinds of marketing jargon that contributes to plenty of confusion both for customers and the media. If you believe everything that Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweets<\/a>, we\u2019re all on the verge of being able to simply set our cars for a destination and let them drive us there without having to interfere, right? While Musk is a polarizing figure \u2014 and despite the technology\u2019s confusing and potentially even misleading name \u2014 his AutoPilot system is simply a name for Tesla<\/a>\u2019s advanced driver assistance system. It is not, in fact, a fully self-driving system.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also different and separate from Tesla\u2019s more advanced Full Self Driving technology package, which itself has a misleading name. Here\u2019s what you need to know in order to understand AutoPilot and what it can and cannot do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more: All our latest news on Tesla Autopilot<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

What is ADAS and what does it have to do with AutoPilot?<\/h2>\n

ADAS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. It\u2019s an automotive industry term<\/a> that companies use as a catch-all for the technology that helps make driving both safer and more comfortable. ADAS can encompass everything from blind-spot warning and lane departure warning to more advanced systems like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. Some ADAS systems are very advanced, allowing the driver to remove their feet and hands off the controls while the car is underway (and while ADAS is engaged) and adapt to the speed of traffic around the vehicle without crashing. Others are not nearly as advanced. It really depends on the type of technology included in a vehicle and how successfully it is implemented.<\/p>\n

AutoPilot is Tesla\u2019s marketing term for an ADAS system that includes an adaptive cruise system that, when active, modulates speed and distance based on the traffic, road conditions and speed limits on specific, mapped roads. It also includes a lane-centering steering assist system that Tesla calls \u201cAutosteer,\u201d which helps your vehicle remain in its lane as the road curves and undulates. Other brands offer these types of features.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most ADAS systems have specific physical parameters that have to be met before the system can be turned on. For example, like other adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering systems, the sensors around the vehicle must have at least one or two clear lane markings on either side of the car in order to keep the vehicle centered in the lane. Adaptive cruise uses cameras around the vehicle (though older models also featured radar) to maintain a set speed and distance from vehicles ahead and around it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more: What is Adaptive Cruise Control?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

What is \u201cSelf-Driving\u201d and Why Isn\u2019t AutoPilot a Fully-Autonomous Driving System?<\/h2>\n

This brings us to the topic of \u201cself-driving,\u201d and \u201cautonomous vehicles<\/a>.\u201d These terms are often thrown around by Musk and his fans, especially when it comes to claims that Tesla vehicles can drive themselves using AutoPilot. The reality is that there are currently no legal, full-self-driving vehicles on the road today, no matter what Elon Musk<\/a> or his marketing department may say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because autonomous driving is highly regulated and clearly defined by various governing bodies both here in the United States and around the world. To understand why Tesla\u2019s AutoPilot is not a self-driving system, you have to first understand how these regulating bodies define self- or autonomous driving.\u00a0<\/p>\n