A new Tesla Autopilot update (one most Tesla owners haven’t received yet) is now reflected in the traffic lights manual. Well known Twitter user “green”/@greentheonly shared an image on Twitter and a quick note about the update. It indicates that the vehicle will keep driving while the light is green if there is a car in front of you that isn’t stopping.
Updated traffic lights manual that describes how the car will keep going on green provided there's a car in front of you that is not stoping (US-only)https://t.co/fpy7Ry3gKy pic.twitter.com/xSj0nnhRKY
— green (@greentheonly) June 23, 2020
Some other key points from the image are that:
- Tesla’s Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control are designed to recognize and respond to both traffic lights and stop signs, which we already knew.
- It will slow the Model 3 or Model Y down to a stop if either the Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer are in use.
- The feature uses the car’s forward-facing cameras along with GPS data.
- It will also slow for blinking yellow lights, off lights, and other relevant road markings.
Tesla also makes it very clear that this is a beta feature and works best on roads that are frequently driven by Tesla vehicles.
“I don’t think we have to worry about autonomous cars because it’s a sort of narrow form of AI.”
— Elon Musk
The image also shows the different types of traffic lights the vehicle may interact with and gives an example of what it will do in the U.S. or in Canada. In the U.S., for example, if you’re behind a car that continues through the intersection, a green stop line will show on the touchscreen. If your hands are on the wheel, the vehicle will continue. If there is no car in front of you, then a red stop line will appear and you will have to confirm whether or not you want to continue. In Canada, it’s a bit different. You will still have to confirm whether or not you want to continue driving through the intersection whether or not a car is in front of you, it seems. This could be due to their traffic laws.
the manual says TACC too
— green (@greentheonly) June 23, 2020
Another example that is shown in the image is the instance of a light changing. If the traffic light changes after you’ve confirmed that you want to proceed, there is a chance your vehicle may stop instead of continuing — if it can safely do so before entering the intersection.
The option to take over driving at any time is available. You can do this manually by braking in order to cancel Autosteer or Traffic-Aware Cruise Control.
The image also details the types of intersections your vehicle may interact with and how it will react. If your car sees a T-junction based on the map data, for example, it will slow down and stop at the red line on your screen. You’ll have to take over steering and acceleration when you are ready to continue.
Every day Tesla’s Autopilot system seems to get better and better. By paying attention to the smallest details, the tech continues to advance. Tesla’s Autopilot is just one way this company is disrupting several industries, including the auto industry. I personally want Tesla to succeed in all that it does — not just because I am a small-time shareholder, but because it is one of the few good companies that is actively seeking to make our world a better place. Its CEO has the mentality of never giving up when it comes to meeting his goals, and this is highly reflected in the way Tesla does things.
Related: Tesla Autostopping — 7 Notes On New Autopilot Feature
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