In December, we covered the opening of the Tesla store in Edinburgh on our Facebook page. It’s certainly worth a visit and could keep you out of harms way in Harvey Nic’s for a wee while.
Tesla have always rejected the conventional dealership model, hence the “store” concept, owned by the company themselves and located in prime retail areas. Based in Multrees Walk, the Edinburgh store is one of the most primely located.
Upstairs Tesla have their Design Studio where the willing buyer (or leaser or contract purchaser – Tesla have just launched some interesting finance options) can review the multitude of colours, fabrics and other options.
Downstairs, there is only space for a couple of cars and while there is but one model on offer, the Model S, the space has been given over to one full example and one bare chassis to show off the technology. We imagine that will change once the new Model X hits the shelves (just continuing the store idiom!) and the less expensive Model 3 in 2017.
The staff are very friendly, enthusiastic about the product (as are we at TT) and helpful.
Autopilot
The launch day had two purposes. In addition to showing off their shiny new showroom, Tesla were also keen to demonstrate the latest gadgetry to find its way into Model S, the Autopilot.
Driving the Model S again was a pleasant reminder of what a torque-fest it is. I won’t go on; our high opinion of the car is on record. It’s all down to whether the price and the range suit your life.
Today, the Autopilot range of features are certainly worthy of a few words. Now, bear in mind that this test day was at the end of December and this post is being written very late (a well deserved slap on the wrist for me). Since the Tesla drive, I have had the opportunity to drive a couple of other examples of other manufacturer’s latest and greatest models. I have to say, in the area of driver aids, last year’s Tesla makes them look like they are stuck in the stone age.
The investment they have made in intelligent adaptive driver assistance is pretty staggering.
So here’s what we have :-
The Autopark facility, where the car will help you find an appropriately sized space and parallel park itself, has recently been enhanced to include perpendicular spaces too. It works well but I guess this is nothing too earth shattering given that you can now specify something similar on your Ford Focus.
Traffic-aware Cruise Control is like several other manufacturers’ offerings where the speed of the vehicle will be modulated when faced with slower traffic ahead, maintaining an appropriate gap to the vehicle in front. The Tesla system uses cameras in addition to radar and takes the concept a bit further with collision warnings and active collision avoidance. Yes- you read that correctly – if enabled, your car will take avoiding action when it anticipates a collision. Here’s a clip of it in action one night in Seattle : Tesla’s Autopilot in Action
Our quick test drive back in December focussed on the last of the options in our list, Autosteer. This is the car’s ability to stay in a lane and change lane at the request of the driver. It is very impressive technology. Driving out of Edinburgh on the M8, with the appropriate feature engaged (seems like the right word as its all getting a bit sci-fi), the Tesla took us on a quick jaunt to Livingston without any necessary steering, braking or throttle input from me.
Sticking to the centre of the lane (and demonstrating to me how far to the right of a lane I must normally sit!), the car did all the steering and modulated speed, reacting to other cars jumping out in front of us and moving out of the way.
One press of the indicator also instructs the car to change lane, should the way be clear.
It is eye-opening stuff. Driving enthusiasts may worry about the march towards driverless technology, but it’s all switchable and, having recently endured a frustrating stop-start concertina style slog up the M6, I for one will be delighted to welcome this kind of technology to help with the most tedious and mind-numbing of journeys.
Brussels and Beta
Concerned readers can also take comfort from a couple of other factors. First of all Tesla are keen to stress that these features are at “Beta test” stage. I’m not sure whether this is expectation management or not, but basically they are saying that these features are being continually developed and will be updated regularly. It’s certainly a good demonstration of Tesla’s over-the-air software updates. You’ll wake up one morning and your car will be bragging about the new trick it just learned.
To be fair, they are being very open and honest about the development. One of the recent update comments reads “Autosteer has been improved to keep Model S in its current lane when passing highway exits”. I wouldn’t have liked to be late for a meeting and encountering the “finding” that led to that change.
The other factor is Europe, hence the Brussels mention. Over here, as opposed to in the USA, it has been decided by the powers that be, that the driver must keep his or her hands in contact with the steering wheel in order for these facilities to be used. This gives rise to the ridiculously paradoxical situation where you are instructing the car to take over the steering but you have to hold the wheel yourself, but only just tight enough to satisfy the sensors and not fight what the car is trying to do. I’m always pretty relaxed about weird control issues in cars. I always say that if you own the car you get used to the way controls work, but I’m not completely convinced in this case. It’s not Tesla’s doing, but it is pretty frustrating.
All in all, it is incredibly impressive development and places other manufacturers firmly in the shade. I look forward to seeing what’s to come next, especially the new “Summon” feature where you can ask the car to come from its current location to pick you up. I wonder what Brussels will make of that!
