I know that. You know that. Many other people do not know that. The name “Autopilot” could easily lead people to believe it’s autonomous.

Something that doesn’t go away after the first message. Make it constant, require hands on the wheel more often (or always), use an eye-tracking camera to ensure the driver is scanning the horizon regularly, require in-person training before the owner can use the feature.

The system in a Tesla can Autosteer the car, though. Perhaps call it “Highway Autosteer.” It’s a simple phrase that clearly conveys what the system does, without implying more.

Or perhaps users need to read the fucking manual before operating a piece of heavy machinery. Or read the warnings flashed at them every time they enable the system.

Tesla is partially at fault because they use a word that implies more functionality than the system actually has. Yes, it is technically correct, but most people assume that an “autopilot” system can handle everything, autonomously. They also need to do a better job of explaining the limitations and ensuring that the…

The vast, vast majority of people know that seatbelts should be fastened. Every child is taught this. Cars chime until you buckle up. There are also laws requiring it.

You are taking whatever magical bullshit you learned from TV movies and your own fear of admitting ignorance, and combining them to say that a word implies things that it does not.

I’m not so much hung up on the naming convention specifically as I am Tesla not doing enough to make sure the drive understands the limitations. Whether it’s through a name that implies too much, burying the “these are the limitations” in a user agreement that nobody reads, or not doing enough to ensure driver…

I understand that definition. Many people do not, and think that Autopilot can do everything. Tesla needs to acknowledge that layman’s definition, and more clearly convey what the system can do (Advance Cruise Control with Autosteer).

That is correct. However, many people do not know that, and Tesla needs to understand “not everyone will understand this in the technical sense it is meant,” and they need to change their marketing.

If Tesla’s guidance is to have hands on the wheel at all times, maybe they should make the system actually require that. As it stands, the system only requires that the user touch the wheel every so often. Clearly it allows people to become complacent.

That would be a great idea! When a user wants to enable the system for the first time, a Tesla representative would come to their house and explain the limitations, and give demonstrations. That would actually be a very good step in the right direction.

“EcoBoost” are turbocharged engines that both “boost” the power of the car and are environmentally and economically friendly by reducing fuel consumption. Nothing wrong with that name, since it doesn’t overpromise on capability.

The problem is that nobody reads user agreements for anything.

So just call it Adaptive Cruise Control and Autosteer, then. Don’t call it something that implies more function than it has, especially when most people don’t understand the real technical limitations of true airplane autopilot.

We know that, but it’s not common knowledge among the general public. The average person might believe that Autopilot can do absolutely everything a pilot can.

Correct, people should stop driving like it is. Tesla should also stop implying that it is autonomous with their “Autopilot” name.

It’s not “supernatural” to expect that a car advertised as having “autopilot capabilities” should be able to maneuver around an obstacle in the road. A fully-autonomous car is completely possible, nothing supernatural about it, so the driver can be forgiven for expecting that his car’s over-hyped feature could…

Here’s where I have a problem - Tesla are marketing to the general public. They need to use words the general public will understand, and take into account how the general public will understand them.

The problem is that Tesla is telling people that AFTER these problems arise. With a name like Autopilot, where the average person thinks it means that the system can control itself and handle these things, Tesla are at some fault for implying the system is more powerful than it really is.