A Medicine Hat man is among a handful of Canadians who are testing Tesla’s new standalone computer.
This means that Brangwyn Jones can mark your destination on GPS and the car takes care of the rest.
“The car can start lane changes on its own,” Jones said.
“It will make turns, watch the lights, stop at a stop sign and then move on.”
At least that’s how it works most of the time.
The car is not yet fully autonomous and he is confident that Jones will be there as a backup. He was selected to participate in the beta testing phase of the technology after completing a multi-day security test and paying $ 10,000 to upgrade his car software.
From time to time, technology escapes, like leaving a necessary lane change until the last second, Jones said. He and other drivers comment on these errors to Tesla so that the company can create a better end product.
“Is [like] a teenager who learns to drive, with many contributions from his father at the wheel, “he said.
Tesla owner Brangwyn Jones is testing the carmaker’s Complete Autonomous Driving Computer (FSD). (Axel Tardieu / Radio-Canada)
Fully autonomous vehicles still in the future
Autonomous vehicles are likely to need the help of “parents” like Jones for a while yet, according to Ian Jack.
While people may dream of reading a book or watching TV behind the wheel, a spokesman for the Canadian Automobile Association believes that the reality is at least a decade away.
“All the technology is coming, but it’s still not quite there in a way that will allow us to drive fully autonomously with complete safety,” he said.
“Is it up and running? Sure. Will it be in the next two years? That’s very doubtful.”
Jones said the car primarily takes the lead and can change lanes and identify obstacles independently. (Axel Tardieu / Radio-Canada)
Another hurdle is that no matter how advanced a car manufacturer’s internal technology may be, fully autonomous vehicles will depend on external factors, such as the development of a 5G network. Jack said this would allow cars to “talk” better with each other and make faster court calls while driving.
Randy Goebel, a computer science professor at the University of Alberta, agrees.
Balance between intelligence and infrastructure
“The real challenge of autonomous driving is a balance between infrastructure intelligence and vehicle intelligence,” said Goebel, who is also a partner and co-founder of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute.
Achieving that balance will take a lot of work, he said.
For example, Goebel said Edmonton has more than 1,800 intersections. It may be possible to add a 5G transponder to each, but it will take time and collaboration between carmakers and infrastructure providers, he said.
“They both have to be on the same line when it comes to communication between infrastructure and vehicle,” he said.
Alberta Transportation said it is aware of the Tesla testing project in the province, but is not involved. The Alberta government controls this mode of transportation as technology and innovation continue to advance.
As for Jones, he believes a future is approaching when autonomous cars will become commonplace and eliminate many of the mistakes made by drivers.
Even though he is far away, he is now happy to be one of the lucky few at the forefront of technology.
“I’m that nerd who loves the latest version of software,” he said.