Thats a lot of acronyms so lets break this down.
Thatcham has been researching how effective and safe systems like Teslas Autopilot are.
40% off TNW Conference!
Driver engagement is an often overlooked metric when considering the effectiveness of ADAS systems.
Finally, Thatcham also considers what safety nets the car has in its safety back-up rating.
Thats an important consideration to make.
ADAS technologies have been proven to improve vehicle safety, but only when used appropriately.
The results
Take a look at the table below for full results from Thatcham.
It scored the highest of all vehicles specifically for driver engagement.
This suggests its an easy-to-use system thats sold with clear marketing.
Keeps the driver engaged with plenty of clear communication regarding the assistance offered.
Provides really useful assistance, but not so much that drivers will believe the car can drive itself.
Lets address the elephant in the room though, the Tesla Model 3.
Tesla fans will no doubt be loath to see Tesla not even make the top five.
Despite this, its only given a moderate score overall, and the reason isnt surprising.
When it comes to drive engagement, the Tesla scores, well, terribly.
That would be appropriate for an automated vehicle but this is vehicle assistance.
Tesla isnt alone in this, though.
This phenomenon of overselling the capabilities of partially automated driver assistance systems has a name:autonowashing.
However, Tesla should be recognized for its ability to update vehicles Over the Air.
Two years ago, its safety backup results would not have been market leading.
These results will no doubt be helpful to regulators too.
Rather, the firm tested Level 2 (SAE Definition) automated driver assistance systems (ADAS).
We have corrected the article to reflect this, and regret the error.
SHIFTis brought to you by Polestar.
Its time to accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility.
That is why Polestar combines electric driving with cutting-edge design and thrilling performance.Find out how.
Story byMatthew Beedham
Matthew is the editor of SHIFT.
He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.
Also tagged with
