Germany Tells Tesla To Not Advertise Autopilot Feature, Fears Drivers Will Become Less Attentive (fortune.com) 108
German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has asked Tesla to stop advertising its electric vehicles as having an Autopilot function, as this might suggest drivers' attention is not needed, his ministry said on Sunday. Reuters reports: A spokeswoman for the ministry, confirming a report in the daily Bild am Sonntag (BamS), said the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) had written to Tesla to make the request. "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," she said in a written response to a Reuters' query.
Change the name! (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously Tesla, CHANGE THE GOD DAMN NAME. This is NOT an "auto-pilot" in the way that nearly everyone would think it is from watching movies and what not, this is just an advanced form of Cruise Control.
Every bullcrap that comes out related to auto-pilot would've been a no issue if they didn't make people misunderstand what auto-pilot is just by the name. They expect people to actually READ the instructions on what it is when first activating it, when they should be aware that NOBODY reads the god damn manual, much less on-screen instructions! Otherwise customer support wouldn't be a job.
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Germany is the second country where they had to change the way the feature was advertised, after the crash in China forced them to there as well.
I still kinda want this feature, but only for slow stop/start traffic.
Re: Change the name! (Score:1)
China and Germany, two countries with one thing in common besides their love for David Hasselhoff. They are buth ruthless totalitarian dictatorships that crush the free spirits of their citizens into servitude towards industrial might.
Why should we tolerate their capricious censorship and oppression? Let Tesla be free to be Tesla.
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Wait, they crush the free spirits of their citizens into servitude towards industry ... by demanding industry change a misleading name of a feature?
What?
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Responsible found: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Germany is the second country where they had to change the way the feature was advertised, after the crash in China forced them to there as well.
I still kinda want this feature, but only for slow stop/start traffic.
Stop and start traffic might be the place where we could benefit the most from this tech in the near term, as well as smoothing the flow of heavy congestion on highways (sort of a cruise that follows the car in front of you).
But as far as what you call it, it really doesn't matter. As some drivers get accustomed to its ability to control a car, and don't experience any adverse situations due to it, they will begin to take more and more risks with distracting tasks. Not different than what drivers do wit
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I don't know why I'm even bothering anymore, but here I go again:
1. As an airline pilot, I can confirm that Tesla's autopilot is way more advanced than airplane autopilots. Of course, when the airplane is sufficiently high, we can let go of the controls and have a chat with the cabin attendants because there's really nothing we can fly into. However, when doing an automatic approach and landing on autopilot, our hands are on the controls and we're watching the instruments like a hawk, ready to take over at
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It comes down to inattentive driving. All these quote/unquote safety features are making the driver feel like then need to pay less attention. The automatic braking for collision avoidance, rear backup cameras, the sonar/beeping when backing up, or the out of lane warning - these while intended to make things safer (intended), but they also make people feel like they can pay less attention because there is an alarm that will let me know when something is amiss (unintended).
I've even noticed with myself, tha
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I second this!
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This is NOT an "auto-pilot" in the way
Yeah tell me about it. It's far more advanced than that.
Oh wait you also don't know how simple autopilot is in real life and apply your own pre-conception to the term?
Re:Change the name! (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh wait you also don't know how simple autopilot is in real life and apply your own pre-conception to the term?
But that's exactly the problem. Most people don't understand what an autopilot is, so when they hear the term they apply that exact pre-conception. I imagine that some portion of training new pilots involves a very specific explanation of what the auto-pilot is capable of, and, more importantly, what it isn't capable of. Until auto-pilot systems become ubiquitous in cars (which may be superseded by fully autonomous vehicles before that can happen), it doesn't make sense to include this kind of training for every new driver. Not to mention all the existing drivers who would have to go back to driving school to learn it.
The much simpler solution is for Tesla to change the name. In this case, perception trumps reality for the sake of safety. Yes, we are pandering to the ignorant, but if we could stop them from being ignorant, there wouldn't be a problem in the first place.
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let's get even simpler! (Score:2)
The much simpler solution is for Tesla to change the name.
An even simpler solution is to not care in the first place either by you or the German government. That seems to fix the problem quite nicely when you do that.
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Hmm, how much does use of a different word in their advertising in Germany rate in terms of impact to me?
Stupid people might take that the wrong way and think it's ok to mug you simply because it's not much impact to them what happens to you. So I think I should have the power to stop you from saying that. For your own good.
And funny how you have yet to give a reason for why Tesla should change that name.
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It's right there in the article. I'm not missing it, you are.
No, it's not. It's a lazy ass assertion by a bureaucrat. Let's reason this out. Does removing the advertising or changing the branding label remove the feature from the vehicle? No, it doesn't. So the driver can still use the feature to be as inattentive as they can get away with.
There is no credible reason to removing the advertising or changing the name from "autopilot". It's not misleading or false advertising. It doesn't change driver behavior. Thus, it turns out to be completely irrelevant to the ac
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Oh wait you also don't know how simple autopilot is in real life and apply your own pre-conception to the term?
Aircraft autopilots are designed to allow pilots to take their hands off the controls. The Tesla "Autopilot" isn't. Game over. The Wikipedia article on Autopilots [wikipedia.org] opens with the sentence "An autopilot is a system used to control the trajectory of a vehicle without constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator being required."
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Aircraft autopilots are designed to allow pilots to take their hands off the controls.
They are not allowed to be any less attentive. The only reason they can take their hands off the controls is that if the vehicle drifts off course for a fraction of a second, that won't cause it to intersect another vehicle or an obstacle.
The Tesla "Autopilot" isn't. Game over.
The reason it is not game over or even squirrely shit is that you are not required to keep your hands on the controls of an airplane. You're required to operate both planes and cars in a safe manner, and what a safe manner is varies between the two because of physics.
The Wikipedia article on Autopilots opens with the sentence "An autopilot is a system used to control the trajectory of a vehicle without constant 'hands-on' control by a human operator being required."
They
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From
https://www.rockwellcollins.co... [rockwellcollins.com] AFDS-770 Autopilot Flight Director System Put the proven standard autopilot flight director system of the Boeing 777 to work for you. The Rockwell Collins AFDS-770 incorporates technology advancements consistent with Boeingâ(TM)s state-of-the-art design objectives. So you can trust it fully digital, fail operational autopilot, flight director and fly
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Why aren't you raging about the airline industry calling their system "auto-pilot"
Because it's not about the smallest system it's about that capabilities of the equipment the airline industry uses. Not a Piper Cub. But FYI, the Garmn FDS that fits in a Mooney can auto navigate the aircraft. The Tesla system can steer a car.
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And if a system that does little more than keep your plane steered in one direction while keeping altitude can hold the name
I think you missed it. Many of the autopilots systems even in small aircraft are fully capable of navigating the aircraft. Not just flying in a straight line and alt hold but maneuvering the aircraft from waypoint to waypoint. Modern flight director controlled autopilots fly the airplane not just keep the wings level. The 777 Rockwell autopilot is an example of a extremely capable autopilot system can take off the aircraft, fly it to its destination and LAND IT!
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Why aren't you raging about the airline industry calling their system "auto-pilot" when it is far less capable in terms of maneuvering in comparison to Tesla's?
You said the airline industry not a simple attitude hold system in a Cessna but the airline industry. My answers are directly on topic of what YOU said. Now move on you've lost this argument.
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I was not aware of this...
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The autopilot on my Cessna 302 had one function - it would hold altitude and heading. Just like a car's cruise control. Some are even dumber than that.
Nonetheless, Tesla's marketing leaves a lot to be desired, as do people who try to "prove" how good it is on public roads by operating outside the supported manner.
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Why did you even bring up the airline industry in the first place? Flying a plane requires a tad more instruction than getting a drivers license.
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The shipping industry?
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This is NOT an "auto-pilot" in the way that nearly everyone would think it is
This definition that everyone uses for auto-pilot gave rise to the phase "on autopilot", as in "I'm running on autopilot". Which means to do a task without paying full attention. That's a far cry from fully autonomous. I'd be scared if someone was driving "on autopilot", so why should I expect an autopilot car to be any better?
I don't think "nearly everyone" feels the same way about the definition of "autopilot" as you do.
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Did you even read what you wrote? The phrase "I'm on autopilot" means you HAVE a metaphorical autopilot which is doing the work, so you don't have to be paying attention. And it is exactly this common usage which is the problem, because when you have a Tesla autopilot you do need to pay full attention. You seem to think the phrase means you ARE an autopilot, and thus are not paying attention. You are probably the only one with that bad a misunderstanding of the phrase.
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You seem to think the phrase means you ARE an autopilot, and thus are not paying attention
Whether it's meant metaphorically or not, if you're "on autopilot" you, or your unconscious mind, IS the autopilot. Therefore, YOU in fact ARE an autopilot and are also not paying attention.
But that's besides the point because, typically, this phrase is used to state that you should have been paying attention, because obviously, an autopilot system isn't as good as a fully aware human. Not to state that you don't have to be paying attention because you're on autopilot. For example, Instead of driving to [learnersdictionary.com]
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I know. Clear, concise, and accurate can be frustrating.
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I read it, and as a German I still don't understand what he meant by it.
At best I conclude it is proof that if you are totally clueless about a language it's easy to be confused by it.
German Autopilot has the same meaning as the English, with "auto" being the "self" prefix, thus in context meaning self-driving.
Autobahn in meaning has absolutely nothing to do with it, and no German would be confused by it having the same prefix. It came to be purely as a language evolution artefact.
It stems from the word "Au
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back to the start: why change words?
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Yup, it shows that Elon Musk apparently is not aware that that "Auto" in "Autobahn" does not mean the same as the "auto" in "autopilot" (German "Auto"="automobile" vs. "auto" as in "automatic"). Just because a word uses the same letters does not mean that, in two different contexts, it means the same thing.
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To all the people here trying to make this connection about the "auto" part of autobahn he's referring is about "automatic", you should think again: he's obviously stating there is such a thing as a reckless road where there are no speed limits in Germany, because that's the only place the rich could justify their 250km/h top speed purchases legally. The autobahn is an obvious incentive to German auto high-end purchasing, sponsored by the government. Now there is government-sponsored public chatter trying t
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I don't have to: the statistical argument is invalid. There's a reason insurance doesn't pay for high-speed accidents in the autobahn.
Reckless driving is reckless driving no matter how statistics want to play them. That's why there are speed limits. Uncontrollable things that happen at 230kmh, things you can't put a fault on anything else other than the speed the car is driving: the statistically odd bird comes around the windshield, you die; a tire bursts, you die; drivetrain cracks under pressure, you die
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And the obvious reason there are less accidents in the autobahn is highly likely for the number of lanes, the low rate of curves, the quality of the road, and the high tolls for trucks (less trucks, less takeovers from slower cars, more slow cars on the outer lanes). You really tried to turn an argument around using nothing but flawed logic. I took logic as the main issue and so did Elon.
Auto automatische Rücksitz Schwiegermutter (Score:4, Funny)
Re: Auto automatische Rücksitz Schwiegermutte (Score:4, Informative)
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But I don't think it has the same colequal meaning as it does in english. "Besserwisser" (know-it-all) or something similar comes to mind as a better translation for "back seat driver".
Knowing Germans I think the correct translation for "back seat driver" is Fußgänger (pedestrian). If you want to insult a German, talk shit about their car, driving or mother - in that order.
Automatische besonderen Bedürfnissen helfen (Score:2)
But I don't think it has the same colequal meaning as it does in english. "Besserwisser" (know-it-all) or something similar comes to mind as a better translation for "back seat driver".
Knowing Germans I think the correct translation for "back seat driver" is Fußgänger (pedestrian). If you want to insult a German, talk shit about their car, driving or mother - in that order.
Perhaps "automatische besonderen Bedürfnissen helfen" (automatic special needs assist) then!
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For a company, profit = taxes = you did something wrong.
Any money over expenses should be reinvested or given to investors, not be left there to be taxed.
Germans are Right (Score:3)
Having driven a Tesla S for a week, I found the autopilot dangerous and stopped using it.
If your lighting is good, and you lane markings are good, it works OK; but other wise all you hear is a little bong and your on your own.
The trouble with autopilot is you still need to 100% concentrate as it could give up at any moment or come across a condition it doesn't understand, but the feature lends you to taking 100% of your concentration off the task of driving.
They should limit it to adaptive cruise control, e-braking, but not steering.
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Better name (Score:2)
Auto crash.
Ban "automobile" too (Score:2)
To be fair the misleading word "automobile" should be banned as well.
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automatic lane changing and Autobahn (Score:2)
We don't have a general speed limit on German highways, the speed driven in the leftmost lane frequently exceeds 120mph by a lot, so the differential speed between cars in different lanes can be quite high. While you are driving 80mph (130kmph) in the middle lane a car will pass you at 130mph (210kmph).
This only works because one of the rules on the Autobahn is that - except from a few circumstances - you are supposed NOT to overtake on the right. The lane on the right of you is always slower than your lane
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what a crazy transit rule! This may cause more acidents than anything like "autopilot"!)
He forgot to mention that in Germany you can lose your license for failing to yield the passing lane on the autobahn.
In theory, you can be ticketed for it here in the USA, but in practice that never happens because the cops don't give a shit about road safety. It's all revenue generation to them.
Re: automatic lane changing and Autobahn (Score:2)
It seems my explanation made it appear a little more complicated than it is. ...
While we're at it, let me quickly explain to you the offside rule in football:
Thin foil hat mode ON (Score:1)
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Level 3 autonomous cars are inherently dangerous. Jim McBride was right when he said, "We're not going to ask the driver to instantaneously intervene—that's not a fair proposition."
We should focus on the standard which level 4 autonomous cars will be judged. Pick the right one and they will be safe and pick the wrong one and we will see them crash.
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