Amazon Primes Itself for Self-Driving Cars
CARS.COM — Amazon is making moves into the world of self-driving car technology, judging from its recent patent application. As The Guardian pointed out, Amazon is specifically interested in how to manage self-driving cars in an environment that includes “reversible lanes.” Anyone dealing with a daunting commute knows that certain lanes, sometimes called express lanes, are used to help alleviate congestion during peak rush-hour times. More lanes into (or out of) a crowded city center can make a world of difference when traffic levels are high.
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Why should I care? You might love the convenience of reversible lanes, but self-driving cars hate them. Suddenly shifting into a lane that normally goes the opposite direction could theoretically fry the brain of an autonomous vehicle.
Making sure a vehicle knows when it can use these lanes, and how to accurately read their road signs, will be essential. Amazon’s patent application revolves around a centralized system that can beam traffic information in real time to a large number of self-driving vehicles. Using this method, the shift into reversible lanes would not be at the whim of an individual car, but better monitored and more safely controlled by an overarching traffic authority.
Tesla Model S 100D Boasts 335 Miles of Range
Tesla has a new champion when it comes to the ultimate in driving range: The Model S 100D now offers 335 miles of electric driving range, a 20-mile improvement over the automaker’s previous best. The 100D model doesn’t have the same level of high-performance hardware found on the P100D model, including that model’s Ludicrous mode, which whips the electric sedan from zero-to-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds.
Why should I care? In case you’d forgotten, the wildly fast P100D model starts at more than $130,000. While the car’s performance puts it amongst the world’s quickest supercars, the added range of the 100D — not to mention its significantly lower starting price of about $90,000 — makes it a much smarter choice.
Do you want to make it home without worrying about how much battery power you have remaining, or do you want to drag-race a Bugatti? The 100D trim level, which is also available on the Model X SUV, puts an emphasis on range, not high-speed heroics. Frankly, we applaud the move and think most Tesla buyers will ante up the slight premium (about $3,000) for the 100D over the existing 90D model.
‘Mode Confusion’ a Factor in Deadly Tesla Autopilot Crash
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cleared Tesla’s Autopilot driving assistance feature from being the root cause of a fatal crash in May 2016. The accident occurred when a Model S sedan, operating in Autopilot mode, failed to detect a semitractor-trailer making a left turn directly ahead. The Tesla’s driver was killed instantly after his sedan slammed into the side of the truck while traveling at an estimated 74 mph. Crash reports found that at no time did the car, nor the driver, apply any braking input before impact.
Why should I care? Automotive accidents are a tragic occurrence of everyday life, but the vast majority of them receive little or no media attention. This Tesla accident was different primarily because investigators learned the car was operating in Autopilot mode at the time of the wreck. NHTSA’s investigation found the car’s automatic emergency braking system — which relies on radar sensors and cameras, and operates independently of the Autopilot system — did not detect the truck’s white side from the surrounding horizon. Despite failing with catastrophic consequences, NHTSA’s report said the system operated within its safety parameters.
Driver distraction, or “mode confusion,” in regards to how much human input a vehicle needs to operate safely, was reportedly the main factor in this accident. According to NHTSA’s findings, “The Florida fatal crash appears to have involved a period of extended distraction (at least 7 seconds).”
While NHTSA did not find anything inherently wrong with Tesla’s driving assistance technology, the confusion over how a self-driving mode functions — and the system’s limitations — must be better explained so that it’s understood by drivers. The term “mode confusion” will become a much more serious issue if automakers don’t easily detail how their autonomous drive hardware functions in all driving conditions, and when it’s best to let the driver do the driving.
