> Emphasis on real. There is definitely something that most people would refer to as "self-driving" in cars on the road.
Then you'd have to define what a self-driving car actually means. At least for me, self-driving means level 4 upwards. Everything below I'd consider assisted driving.
> Unless you're suggesting the PR team decided to make shit like "Summon" available to the public, then it's not just "PR spin".
As I said, this Smart Summon feature also only works under very specific circumstances with multiple restrictions (and from what I've seen on Twitter it received mixed feedback)
Just because the car manages to navigate a parking lot with 5km/h relatively reliable, that doesn't mean that at the end of the year it'll be able to drive the car with 150 km/h on the Autobahn.
> Then you'd have to define what a self-driving car actually means.
I said "for most people". For most people I know, a car that will change lanes, navigate freeways and even exit freeways is "self driving". It may be completely unreliable but even a toaster that always burns the bread is called a toaster: no one says "you need to define what a toaster means to you".
> At least for me, self-driving means level 4 upwards.
I have literally zero clue what the first three "levels" are or what "level 4" means, and I'd wager 99% of people who buy cars wouldn't either.
> that doesn't mean that at the end of the year it'll be able to drive the car with 150 km/h on the Autobahn.
30 seconds found me a video on youtube of some British guy using autopilot at 150kph on a German autobahn last June.
Again: I'm not suggesting that it is a reliable "self driving car". I'm suggesting that it is sold and perceived as a car that can drive itself, in spite of a laundry list of caveats and restrictions.
And I think you're being ridiculously pedantic if you think that a list of caveats and asterisks in the fine print means that average Joe B. Motorist doesn't view the Autopilot/Summon/etc features as some degree of "self driving".
Musk has good reason -- he's been selling an expensive "full self driving" package for a couple years and in order to deliver he needs to redefine the term. He's already working hard on that.
Car engineers know what level 1-5 is. Level 1 and 2 are basic assist - cruise control and the like. Level 3 is the car drives but the driver monitors everything for issues the car can't detect. 4 and 5 are you can go to sleep, 4 means there are some situations the car will wake you up and after you get a coffee (ie there is no need for instant take over) you drive, while 5 is the car will drive anything.
Emphasis on real. There is definitely something that most people would refer to as "self driving" in cars on the road.
I'm not saying what is there is specifically good at what it does - I'm saying someone put it into use regardless of how fit for purpose it is.
> but this future is probably not as close as Tesla PR makes us think
Unless you're suggesting the PR team decided to make shit like "Summon" available to the public, then it's not just "PR spin".
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