Featured LIDAR business practices

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by bwilson4web, Feb 4, 2026.

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  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    There is a FSD summary in the User’s Guide but thin on the tricks you need to learn. I’m seeing more homegrown YouTubes sharing the tricks… a good thing.

    As for me, AutoPilot since March 26, 2019. A month later, AutoPilot saved me and my family. In October 2019, bought FSD $6,000 and soon the “long development.” It was November 2024 when the new code branch came into its own.

    I’ve had a lot of hands on including diagnosis and reporting problems. But there has very seldom I haven’t preferred AutoPilot/FSD. Those exceptions were when I needed to explore some boundary conditions.

    The comparison videos recall memories of early AutoPilot and FSD. Emulators are discovering what Tesla fixed years ago. But I am sure the other system drivers are learning what works and coming to rely on the features that don’t s*ck.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #61 bwilson4web, Feb 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM
  2. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    I'm not discounting that lidar may be used in the future. It all depends on if they can get the software and hardware to all work together.

    I bought my model 3 in 2018 with hw2. Even back then people knew what they were getting. Its over 7 years later and people have been slamming autopilot and supervised full self driving beta all the time I've had it so I doubt anyone responsible does not know. It really is the drivers responsibility. Purchased fsd in 2019 with the promise of updating my hw. They did update me to hw3 (I believe that is what bob has). I had to trade it in to get to hw4 and keep the software, which I did in 2024 (if I had known that they would offer that again I would have waited until last year).. Seriously I was underwhelmed in 2019, but I knew that going in. I wanted to see the evolution. I kept trying fsd but kept it on autopilot most of the time which rapidly improved. By 2024 autopilot was really good. Now the whole thing works really well and can take me to many places with no intervention except when it wants to change to the wrong lane or slows down. The visualization is really good. I definitely can understand people wanting a system from someone other than tesla, especially after the doge debacle, but no one else is nearly as close.
     
    #62 austingreen, Feb 16, 2026 at 12:28 PM
  3. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    How does it work when driving down a 4 lane road, 2 in each direction. And a sign or a painted arrow or both indicate that the right hand lane is a right turn only lane and you need to get in the left/center lane? We have several on a route I'm newly taking and I wondered as I reacted and slipped in would this be sensed by a camera?

    How does it handle a case where coming up to a suspended traffic light and your view is blocked by a semi until all of a sudden the truck clears and you see that red light? Slam on brakes or run the yellow turning red. How does it account for the closeness of the driver in back of you and their reaction space?
     
    #63 mikefocke, Feb 16, 2026 at 3:57 PM
  4. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    in 2018 not well at all. I haven't had it miss in the last year, but that maybe the mapping software.
    It hits the brakes last seen a week ago. I often hit the accelerator in that situation when I want it to go through the yellow. It is still improving.
     
    #64 austingreen, Feb 16, 2026 at 11:21 PM
  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    My experience:
    • when driving down a 4 lane road, 2 in each direction. And a sign or a painted arrow or both indicate that the right hand lane is a right turn only lane and you need to get in the left/center lane? We have several on a route I'm newly taking and I wondered as I reacted and slipped in would this be sensed by a camera? - Lanes are sometimes handled "at the end" versus arrows painted in the lane. Othertimes, it uses whatever mode, Chill, Standard, Hurry, to pick the lane to ride, outside, variable, or passing. However, it is not a "lane hog" as tailgating traffic will trigger a lane shift. I have no problem with using the turn signal to trigger an early lane change ... since I have to keep looking toward the windshield.
    • How does it handle a case where coming up to a suspended traffic light and your view is blocked by a semi until all of a sudden the truck clears and you see that red light? Slam on brakes or run the yellow turning red. - Too rare to call. I tend to choose routes that don't have a lot of traffic and seldom ones with trucks.
    • How does it account for the closeness of the driver in back of you and their reaction space? - Tailgaters will trigger a lane shift to let them pass.
    Bob Wilson
     
    #65 bwilson4web, Feb 16, 2026 at 11:30 PM
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