HFDA reports

[coma24]

Just did a 50 mile drive with HFDA (3-4 lane interstate, rt 80 in northern NJ out towards PA border). Overall, exceeded expectations (which were already high). It's astounding how much thought and work has gone into the system overall.

Regarding people cutting into the lane (this was originally going to be a reply to that existing thread but I opted to start a new one since the post became a HFDA drive report)....I allowed several situations where a car pulled into my lane ahead of me, halving the gap. In most cases, it just happened that the car in front of me wasn't at the minimum follow distance that I'd set, so being at half the gap wasn't a safety issue. However, it was definitely closer than the 'target' follow distance that I'd dialed in (which was the minimum/closest setting).

It slowly fixed the problem with smooth deceleration. My guess is that most people would not be comfortable with the distance involved...not because they wouldn't ever allow that distance, temporarily, themselves, but due to lack of confidence that an automated system will fix it, particularly not knowing if/when it is going to address the issue, and what that will feel like.

Long story short, it fixes it slowly and smoothly, but it did fix it, 100% of the time.

The system performed extremely well in a wide variety of shifting lanes (3 lanes becoming 4, 4 becoming 3), solid lines where lane changes aren't permitted, construction cones, lane changes down a hill into the right lane just as a left turn is coming up, which is brutal and non-trivial for a human driver to execute smoothly. All handled extremely well. I lost count of how many 'awkward' lane transitions there were that would've thrown off a lesser system, and it either handled it 100% perfectly, or with just a hint of a steering correction that indicated a less than perfect execution, but certainly nothing jarring.

I did notice an interesting traffic situation where a car I was catching up with executed a lane change just as I was doing the same thing. Once it realized that it wasn't going great, it backed off subtantially further than I expected or had experienced any time before.

It's VERY quick to detect if your eyes aren't on the road...I experienced that for the first time about 30 miles into the drive as a phone call came to an end and I wanted to change something on the nav. It doesn't disengage or freak out, it just prompts you to get your eyes on the road.

I did see cases where it transitioned from hands free to hands required (but still DA), and still another case where it transitioned from DA to 'take control..." due to not being able to handle the road conditions (I can't remember the specifics)....it all happened smoothly.

I did have some awkward moments with inconsistent drivers where it made sense for me to get outta there quickly and efficiently. Rather than disconnect HFDA, I simply start driving with a subtle lane change and some acceleration beyond the commanded speed. I completed a few overtakes, then headed back to the middle lane. I scanned the dash to see what mode it was in, and it still said HFDA, however the steering wheel icon wasn't illuminated. I wasn't quite done with the lane change when I released the wheel, and noticed it was not actively taking over. Not until the drift continued with me reaching the middle of the lane did it automatically re-engage (steering wheel illuminated). I can see that potentially causing people some confusion if they routinely take over without cancelling the mode, then expect it to resume from ANY spot on the road. That is not the case. You have to meet certain criteria for it to re-engage by itself again.

Lastly, there was ONE instance where I took over, which was a flat-bed18 wheeler (not a closed container) where the car appeared to underestimate the width of the trailer. I haven't seen this with closed container 18 wheelers, so perhaps that's the difference, but I was uncomfortably close, and when the truck went wide, crossing into my lane, I gave it a fraction of a second, realized it wasn't taking action and then took over, partially crossing into the shoulder by about 1 tire width to stay clear.

All in all, absolutely ecstatic with it. Without question, a fatigue reducer and a huge value add.

 

[borski]

I can see that potentially causing people some confusion if they routinely take over without cancelling the mode, then expect it to resume from ANY spot on the road. That is not the case. You have to meet certain criteria for it to re-engage by itself again.

If you tap the brake first, it disengages the mode, do your driving around, then just tap up on the toggle when you’re ready to re-engage. I find that easier than making the system guess, personally.

 

[MGRMLN]

If you tap the brake first, it disengages the mode, do your driving around, then just tap up on the toggle when you’re ready to re-engage. I find that easier than making the system guess, personally.

Sometimes I also hit the X (Cancel) on DDP steering wheel controls with my foot already on the accelerator to accelerate around and then click the toggle up to resume previous speed.

 

[borski]

Sometimes I also hit the X (Cancel) on DDP steering wheel controls with my foot already on the accelerator to accelerate around and then click the toggle up to resume previous speed.

That works too!

 

[californiaboy935]

Just did a 80 mile trip and can say they’ve added a lot of little fixes that hugely improve the driving experience in HFDA. About 65 miles down the highway until I had my first “take control” error. Happened in a curve with a bridge shadow so I can see why it got freaked out.

Funnily enough it was in a spot my Tesla almost rammed me into the wall while I wasn’t paying attention a few years ago, lol.

Everything is smoother with this update, lane changes, follow distance, even the occasional rocking back and fourth in the lane has been solved.

I had been experiencing some of the fantom breaking by trucks (I even made a service appointment for it) but it’s vanished in this update.I appreciate when Lucid under promises and way over delivers. Feels much more fulfilling than some of the competitors who promise the FSD and deliver far less then promised.

 

[coma24]

I should've been more clear, I'm comfortable with all the ways to disengage it....have been doing that for months with normal DA. I was interesting in seeing how it handled the transition from 'override' to resuming HFDA ops.

 

[L-Dude]

I was about to start a thread about HDFA experiences and tips, but found this one and decided to glom onto it. I've used HFDA 4 times now and found it to be pretty good. I am still learning about what it can and can't do, and hopefully I can learn from the experiences of others.

I find it interesting that when HFDA is engaged, I just observe what is going on around me. I am not worried about maintaining a certain speed, or managing my car in a lane. Instead, I am broadly monitoring traffic around me. I don't really have to do anything other than keep an eye on what's going on around me, if that makes sense. I feel more alert to traffic while at the same time being more relaxed. It is an interesting experience.

I am wondering about how HFDA will handle specific situations that I have not yet encountered. One of these is lane drift by other cars. What will HFDA do if a car next to me starts to drift into my lane? Will it avoid the car, or just continue within it's own lane. This is one of the things I watch for, but haven't experienced yet.

Any idea how the system handles debris in the road?

I've only used HFDA in smooth mode. Does it handle things differently from one mode to the other?

I had an odd experience yesterday where I went to see some friends: 50 miles of turnpike driving one way. We had dinner, then returned with 50 miles back down the turnpike. During the trip back, which took place after dark, I kept getting the "keep your eyes on the road" nag over and over again. The steering wheel was in exactly the same position during the first part of the trip. I thought perhaps I was getting tired and slouching in the seat so the monitoring system couldn't see my eyes adequately, but I kept getting the nag even after lowering the steering wheel. Could this be just a problem with driving at night? (FWIW, I was wearing sunglasses on the first part of the trip.)

Anyway, what have you learned using HFDA. Any tips and experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[coma24]

I've seen it handle construction zones very well, warning that the zone is being entered and disabling hands free, but staying in DA mode, then transitioning back to HFDA when the zone ends.

Haven't dealt with any debris yet, I happened to have the system disabled the one time there was debris on the highway on the way to JFK.

 

[L-Dude]

I am particularly interested on how the system reacts if a vehicle in an adjacent lane drifts into your lane. This is a pretty common scenario, and I would love to know how the system reacts.

I've been using HFDA somewhat regularly of late, and I am generally liking the system. It does a little dance when navigating past exit lanes that occur on curves, but is generally pretty solid.

I was using it again in the dark this evening, and I did not have a recurrence of the "pay attention" issue that I had the other evening--even though I hadn't changes any setting or seat/steering wheel positions. Hmmm....more data needed lol.