Can an aftermarket modification function as well as Tesla Autopilot?
YouTube influencer Andy Slye compares Tesla Autopilot to Openpilot (comma.ai). According to comma.ai:
Openpilot is open source software built to improve upon the existing driver assistance in most new cars on the road today. Tesla Autopilot like functionality for your Toyota, Honda, and more.
When it comes to semi-autonomous and self-driving technology, Tesla is the most talked-about company due to its Autopilot system. This is not to say that other automakers don’t offer similar features, but they just don’t get that much attention. Part of the reason for this is that most other driver-assist technologies are more limited in what they’re able to do and they aren’t included as standard. Moreover, such tech is typically only available in high-end luxury cars that are sold in limited volume.
Since Tesla is the first automaker to dive heavily into self-driving, test it as a beta system on current vehicles, and publicize it widely, there are many concerns that people are going to get hurt. Of course, with any such technology, there will always be issues, but the hope is that there are many more triumphs than there are failures.
Considering Autopilot’s increasing popularity, it was only a matter of time before another company would work to replicate the technology and then make it available for use. Openpilot is available for about $1,000. Tesla includes Autopilot in most of its vehicles, though, in the past, people were required to pay $5,000 for Enhanced Autopilot and $2,000 for the future Full Self-Driving option. Now, the Full Self-Driving option costs $7,000 and is expected to increase in price.
Slye provides an in-depth and fascinating video comparison of the two systems. For those who don’t have time to watch the entire video, Slye has included some useful timestamps in the video description below. In addition, he’s provided a written summary of his findings. Check it all out and then send us your feedback in the comment section.
Video Description via Andy Slye on YouTube:
$7,000 Tesla Autopilot vs $1,000 Openpilot: Self-Driving Test!
Tesla Autopilot vs Comma.ai Openpilot: Level 2 self-driving car comparison test
Skip to each scenario test:
3:38 City driving
8:00 Driving into sun
10:11 Unmarked/faint lane lines
14:35 Interstate driving
21:10 Strong curves
23:32 Narrow lanes + street parkersOne of the most popular reactions from people when they see my Tesla Model 3 is they usually ask “Does it really drive itself?” because many people associate Teslas with self-driving & Tesla Autopilot which is an advanced driver assistance system. Autopilot is synonymous with Tesla, but not many people realize that other non-Tesla cars can also have their own advanced driver assistance system added at a fairly affordable price. It’s called Openpilot, but how well does it stack up against the standards that Tesla Autopilot has set? Let’s find out.
Tesla Autopilot is designed to assist the driver with safety and convenience features such as emergency braking, collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring. Autopilot enables the car to steer, accelerate, and brake automatically for other vehicles and pedestrians within its lane. As of November 2019 when we recorded these tests, Autopilot is included on all Tesla vehicles at no additional cost. However, when I bought my Model 3 in early 2018 it was not included. I actually paid $5,000 for what they called Enhanced Autopilot at the time then I spent another $2,000 for the Full Self Driving option which provides some more advanced features such as automatic driving from highway on-ramp to off-ramp including interchanges and overtaking slower cars, automatic lane changes while driving on the highway, autopark for parallel and perpendicular spaces, and summon which allows your Tesla to drive itself to your location in a parking lot.
https://comma.ai Openpilot is an open source driver assistance system by the startup company, Comma ai. It operates as a replacement for OEM Advanced driver-assistance systems and allows users to modify their existing car with increased computing power, enhanced sensors, and continuously-updated driver assistance features that improve with user-submitted data. Currently, Openpilot performs the functions of Adaptive Cruise Control, Automated Lane Centering, Forward Collision Warning, and Lane Departure Warning for a growing variety of supported vehicles. If your car is one of the 50 or so compatible vehicles, like Logan’s 2019 Corolla Hatchback, it costs about $1,000 to order the hardware called the EON Devkit which is sort of a glorified Android phone running dash cam software. Once you get the hardware you can install Openpilot on it then connect it to your car and you’re ready to go.
Similarities:
Both are Level 2 Partial Automation meaning the vehicle can control steering, accelerating, and braking, but ultimately a human sits in the driver seat and is responsible for monitoring the driving environment and must be ready to take over at any time. Both systems receive free software updates that constantly improve existing features + adding new features. During the time of our tests (Nov 2019) OpenPilot was on version 0.6.6 and Tesla was on version 2019.36.2.1. Both are constantly improving their own systems by tracking all users’ driving data for machine learning.Differences:
Openpilot uses an interior facing camera for eye & head tracking to verify driver attention meaning it does not require a hand on the steering wheel but instead will alert if the driver isn’t looking forward. Autopilot does not use facial recognition but instead requires a hand on the wheel and will alert if it doesn’t detect a hand on the wheel. Openpilot disengages on acceleration or braking; it does not disengage if the driver turns the wheel. Autopilot disengages on steering or braking but not acceleration. Openpilot is labeled as alpha software while #Tesla is in beta. OpenPilot currently does not have a maximum speed limit and does not use speed limit signs or map information for anything. #Autopilot has no speed limit on interstates but will limit your speed to 5-10mph over the speed limit on roads with limits of 55mph or under. #Openpilot is open source software so there are some slight differences in how it operates between different vehicle makes & models. Everything we reference in this video is how it operates specifically on a 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback.
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