some of the features are nice (lane keep assist, blindspot monitor, obviously VSA, maybe the auto-braking). I've mostly driven manuals w/o ABS and all of the above make for more careless drivers but they can save your ass (say on snow or ice). Careless drivers became an inevitability starting w/automatics but that's part of "democratizing the roads" and honestly people's priorities. Full self driving should be something to welcome as it frees people's time (an extra hour of commute for instance) and reduces DUI incidences. I've got pals working for comps. like zoox and waymo so it's exciting to watch. I do have a giant beef w/making promises a decade ago and not delivering like Musk does however.
FSD is extremely complicated and requires an enormous amount of data for the AI to direct the car without a hitch. Every demonstration of the system presented to the public that I've seen has left me in awe and convinced that FSD will fulfill its target and no competition will be able to match it ever. Tesla will simply lease it to other manufacturers. It's just not for me, and I suspect not for many others like me. The take up rate is below expectations today and I'd be surprised if it ever hits more than 25% without government intervention. I get the incentive to reduce/eliminate road accidents/deaths or the opportunity to spend our commute time being more productive than simply driving or the stage at which there will be no point owning a car because a driverless one can be had from an app in minutes for cheap. I'm of another generation, I modify my cars, drive too fast on winding roads, watch rallye car races and, besides, FSD is way too Big Brother for me. I don't want a camera staring at me to ensure I've got my hands on the steering wheel of a car that drives itself. And I certainly don't want a system to behavior modify my driving. Today I ride an older model motorcycle and like it like that. If the market turns around in a big way, I will revive my project of turning a classic into an EV and pass it on to my kid when I'm done driving anything. The FSD challenge is that Tesla is also shaking the auto industry, so that every issue affecting Tesla or FSD is amplified and distorted for no other reason than to challenge its achievements. Mercedes comes out with a ridiculous level 3 solution that works only on a few square blocks of nowhere in Nevada and it's automatically hailed as the self driving leader. Let's be serious! Level 3 removes a driver's legal responsibility and transfers it to the manufacturer in case of an accident.... Tesla is absolutely correct to keep its level 2 status until legislation provides the necessary protection from lawsuits. I imagine whoever drives a level 3 Mercedes will need to sign many legal documents removing Mercedes liability from any accident, except in very constrained circumstances. I think full self driving by any manufacturers will first exist in less litigious countries. China for example already has cities operating autonomous cabs. Europe may well decide to protect manufacturers from liabilities once the value proposition of self driving becomes overwhelming. The US will wait until European data clearly shows that far fewer accidents occur with self driving systems on. One thing is very clear to me; within 20 years, system driven vehicles will be required and human driven vehicles will be by exception, for classics and such.
Agree with that, except in the case of old fashioned cruise control with driver alone in charge. Not current type that automatically adjusts for a vehicle moving into lane in front of you and such.
lol; Tesla's "FSD" is light years behind other companies who aren't even OEMs by virtue of HW equipped. Mercedes took on full liability for their lvl 3 rollout. https://www.wardsauto.com/industry-...s-legal-responsibility-its-level-3-technology
https://electrek.co/2023/03/11/tesla-solar-roof-earns-owner-350-per-month/ This incredible Tesla Solar Roof earns the owner $350 per month Fred Lambert | Mar 11 2023 - 10:31 am PT 166 Comments This Tesla Solar Roof and Powerwall installation earns the homeowner $350 per month as part of a virtual power plant. With this product, Tesla aims to offer a rooftop solar power option for new homes or homes that need a new roof soon. If you need a new roof and want solar power, you can combine the two with sleek-looking solar tiles that serve as a roof and produce energy. We have reported on some really cool Tesla Solar Roof installations over the years. It’s still a relatively new product that is expensive; therefore, it is often installed on bigger or more valuable homes – making for some impressive projects. A few months ago, we reported on this massive 30 kW Tesla Solar Roof home – one of the biggest and most powerful solar roof installations we have seen to date. Now we feature a new Tesla Solar Roof that is even more impressive, with over 60% more power. The project was installed by Rising Sun Solar, one of Tesla’s main partners for solar roof and Powerwall installations in Hawaii. It’s a massive 50 kW Tesla Solar Roof on the Big Island of Hawai‘i: At 50 kW, this is venturing into the commercial solar scale. We can see here that Rising Sun Solar designed the system to squeeze in as many solar cells as possible. In this picture, we can clearly differentiate between the regular tiles and the solar tiles. We can see that the firm managed to optimize the design where it looks like there could almost be more solar cells per section than with solar panels: On top of the solar roof, the installation also includes six Tesla Powerwalls for a total of 81 kWh of energy storage. Joti Mangat, Rising Sun Solar’s chief revenue officer, noted that the homeowner is using their new system as part of a virtual power plant that is earning them $350 per month: Fun fact, the Swell Energy Home Battery Rewards VPP in partnership with Hawaiian Electric will earn this customer approx $350 per month in grid revenue, every month, for the next five years. Swell Energy has launched several large-scale virtual power plants all over the US, with many of them primarily using Tesla Powerwalls. In over five years, it will generate $21,000 for the homeowner. Of course, the entire Tesla Solar Roof and Powerwall installation likely costs 10 times that, but it still makes a significant difference, especially when you consider that on top of getting money back from the grid, they are not paying for electricity anymore. Complete independence. They own their own power plant.
"...In over five years, it will generate $21,000 for the homeowner. Of course, the entire Tesla Solar Roof and Powerwall installation likely costs 10 times that..." So it is a feel-good solution. It will take the homeowner 50 years to get back to BE in the investment in the installation. Why not just buy a damned Bugatti and some shares in Devon energy? That will be MORE profitable in 50 years.
The point is this is a demonstration project. It shows that a large house can generate enough energy to return $350/month in HI, the state with the highest electricity cost in the nation. Now that a bar has been set, others can now show this can be achieved with small roofs, lower electricity costs, more efficient and/or cheaper tiles or panels, etc. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ive tuned back in for the shitstorm after the jew comment but must have been deleted. Prob just as well.