Best semi autonomous car is NOT a Tesla, Consumer Reports says

Want the best self driving car out there? DON’T buy a Tesla, Consumer Reports says as Cadillac beats Elon Musk’s car in first test of semi autonomous systems

  • CR published first ranking of partially automated driving systems
  • Cadillac’s Super Cruise was top-rated, above Tesla’s Autopilot
  • Testers said it ‘does the best job of balancing high-tech capabilities with ensuring that the car is operated safely and that the driver is paying attention’
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General Motors’s Cadillac outscored Tesla in a new ranking of partially automated driving systems tested by Consumer Reports,

The highly influential nonprofit organization, which tests and rates a variety of consumer products from mattresses and baby food to vehicles, said it compared Cadillac’s Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot with similar systems from Nissan and Volvo Car. 

It ranked the Cadillac system as top, followed by Tesla, Nissan and Volvo. 

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Testers said Cadillac’s Super Cruise system ‘does the best job of balancing high-tech capabilities with ensuring that the car is operated safely and that the driver is paying attention’. Pictured, the system in action

THE BEST SEMI AUTONOMOUS CAR SYSTEMS 

1. Super Cruise on the Cadillac CT6

Although it won the test, the system is available only on limited-access highways that GM has already mapped

2. Autopilot on the Tesla Model 3, Model X and Model S

‘Easy to engage Tesla’s Autopilot and clear to drivers whether the system is on or off’ 

3. ProPilot Assist on the Nissan Leaf and Infiniti QX50

Cannot be engaged at low speeds unless there is a vehicle immediately in front of it

4. Pilot Assist on the Volvo XC40 and XC60

Forces drivers to stay involved with steering, or risk leaving the lane on all but the straightest roads

 Source: Consumer Reports

‘In Consumer Reports’ first-ever ranking of partially automated driving systems, Cadillac’s Super Cruise was top-rated because our testing shows it does the best job of balancing high-tech capabilities with ensuring that the car is operated safely and that the driver is paying attention,’ it concluded.

The results are a blow to Elon Musk’s Tesla, which has prided itself on its technical innovation.

Nissan’s ProPilot Assist was ranked third and Volvo’s Pilot Assist fourth. 

Consumer Reports said it has been testing partially automated driving systems for several years but elected to conduct a formal study intended for publication, because ‘we are at a tipping point where they are now going mainstream,’ according to Jake Fisher, director of auto testing.

The organization said its tests, conducted on a private track and on public roads in Connecticut, were designed to measure the systems’ ability to automatically control steering and speed in certain situations, while helping drivers pay attention and regain manual control of the vehicle when required.

The systems typically use cameras, radar and other sensors, as well as mapping data, to monitor location and traffic conditions and help keep a vehicle centered in the lane at a safe distance behind other cars.

Each system has limitations. 

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Cadillac’s Super Cruise, for instance, only functions on divided highways that have been mapped by GM. 

In contrast, Tesla’s Autopilot can be used even on small, curvy roads with poor lane markings, but ‘operates erratically in those situations,’ Consumer Reports said.

While they can help relieve driver stress and fatigue, Consumer Reports said, the partially automated systems are ‘not intended to be self-driving features.’

The organization tested Super Cruise on the Cadillac CT6; Autopilot on the Tesla Model 3, Model X and Model S; ProPilot Assist on the Nissan Leaf and Infiniti QX50, and Pilot Assist on the Volvo XC40 and XC60.

Consumer Reports said Cadillac’s Super Cruise did ‘the best job of balancing high-tech capabilities with ensuring the car is operated safely and the driver is paying attention.’


Testers said Cadillac’s Super Cruise system ‘does the best job of balancing high-tech capabilities with ensuring that the car is operated safely and that the driver is paying attention’. Pictured, the CT6 Consumer Reports tested


Tesla’s Model 3: Consumer Reports hailed the Telsa for its ‘capability and ease of use’, but overall it came in second to Cadillac in the CR tests




The highly influential nonprofit organization, which tests and rates a variety of consumer products from mattresses and baby food to vehicles, said it compared Cadillac’s Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot with similar systems from Nissan and Volvo Car. It ranked the Cadillac system as top, followed by Tesla, Nissan and Volvo

Tesla’s Autopilot was cited for its capability and ease of use, while Nissan’s ProPilot Assist did a better job than Autopilot or Volvo’s Pilot Assist in keeping drivers engaged.

Cadillac’s Super Cruise is not related to the GM Cruise self-driving vehicle being jointly developed by General Motors and Honda.

GM, Tesla and Volvo did not respond immediately to a request for comment. 

HOW THE TESTS WERE DONE 

The systems were all put to the same tests on CR’s 327-acre Auto Test Center track and on nearby Connecticut freeways. 

Testers drove cars multiple times over the same route, both as a leading vehicle and as a following vehicle.

However, CR said Super Cruise could not be tested on its track because it is designed to operate only on divided highways without intersections that have been mapped by General Motors.

The organization said its tests were designed to measure the systems’ ability to automatically control steering and speed in certain situations, while helping drivers pay attention and regain manual control of the vehicle when required.

The systems typically use cameras, radar and other sensors, as well as mapping data, to monitor location and traffic conditions and help keep a vehicle centered in the lane at a safe distance behind other cars.

 

 

Nissan in a statement said its ProPilot Assist system is available on several models, including the Rogue, the Leaf and the Altima, ‘all of which are priced tens of thousands of dollars below the Cadillac and Tesla products mentioned in the Consumer Reports test.’

‘We have been evaluating these systems on a case-by-case basis for a few years, but we are at a tipping point where they are now going mainstream,’ said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. 

‘Stacked up against each other, you can really see significant differences. 

‘The best systems balance capability with safeguards—making driving easier and less stressful in the right situations. Without proper safeguards, overreliance on the system is too easy, which puts drivers at risk.’

HOW DO SELF-DRIVING CARS ‘SEE’?

Self-driving cars often use a combination of normal two-dimensional cameras and depth-sensing ‘LiDAR’ units to recognise the world around them.

In LiDAR (light detection and ranging) scanning – which is used by Waymo – one or more lasers send out short pulses, which bounce back when they hit an obstacle.

These sensors constantly scan the surrounding areas looking for information, acting as the ‘eyes’ of the car.

While the units supply depth information, their low resolution makes it hard to detect small, faraway objects without help from a normal camera linked to it in real time.

In November last year Apple revealed details of its driverless car system that uses lasers to detect pedestrians and cyclists from a distance.

The Apple researchers said they were able to get ‘highly encouraging results’ in spotting pedestrians and cyclists with just LiDAR data.

They also wrote they were able to beat other approaches for detecting three-dimensional objects that use only LiDAR.

Other self-driving cars generally rely on a combination of cameras, sensors and lasers. 

An example is Volvo’s self driving cars that rely on around 28 cameras, sensors and lasers.

A network of computers process information, which together with GPS, generates a real-time map of moving and stationary objects in the environment.

Twelve ultrasonic sensors around the car are used to identify objects close to the vehicle and support autonomous drive at low speeds.

A wave radar and camera placed on the windscreen reads traffic signs and the road’s curvature and can detect objects on the road such as other road users.

Four radars behind the front and rear bumpers also locate objects.

Two long-range radars on the bumper are used to detect fast-moving vehicles approaching from far behind, which is useful on motorways.

Four cameras – two on the wing mirrors, one on the grille and one on the rear bumper – monitor objects in close proximity to the vehicle and lane markings. 

 

 

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