Youtube Chikichu did a test on his Tesla Model 3 to see what happens if you jumped out of the car while the Tesla is engaged in Autopilot.
He first set Autopilot to 18 mph, which is the lowest speed for Autopilot to engage, then lowered the cruising speed to 6 mph for him to safely climb out of the window and jump out of the car.
Surprisingly, the vehicle continued to drive on its own with Autopilot still engaged. But he only showed the vehicle driving for a few seconds. Most likely the system will alert driver to place hand on steering wheel after about 25 seconds, and if ignored twice in a row, Autopilot will eventually disengage.
Will Tesla Autopilot Have Level 5 Full Autonomous Self Driving Capability?
Although this test by the Youtuber is not a real world scenario, it does lead to a question of whether tesla will have full autonomous capability without a driver? The test he did essentially demonstrated Autopilot autonomously without a driver like a robotaxi, it was only demonstrated for a few short seconds, but it appears that could be the future.
Tesla had planned to launch its robotaxi network this year. Musk had said back in 2019 that he felt “very confident predicting that there will be autonomous robotaxis from tesla next year — not in all jurisdictions because we won’t have regulatory approval everywhere.” Tesla owners would be able to add their vehicle to the robotaxi network while they are not using the car to generate some revenue.
With the current climate and the pandemic going on, should be safe to say this will not be happening this year?
Autopilot FAQs
Here’s what we learned from this Youtube video.
What happens if you unbuckle your driver seat belt while Autopilot is engaged?
Autopilot disengaged and driver must take over the car
What happens if you open the door while Autopilot is engaged?
Again, same thing, Autopilot disengaged and driver must take over the car
What happens if you leave the driver seat while your Tesla is engaged in Autopilot?
Surprisingly, the vehicle will continue to drive on its own. At least until Autopilot prompts you to hold the steering wheel. Autopilot will disengage if you ignore the steering wheel prompt.