How Teslas fared in tests of driver-assist systems
The
The vehicles tested included the Tesla Model S and Model 3, the Mercedes E-Class, the
IIHS said the Tesla Model 3 did the best job of staying within its lanes during a series of tests of active lane-keeping systems. IIHS ran 18 different such trials, on both hills and road curves, and found the Model 3 stayed in its lane on all 18 curve trials and 17 of the trials on hills. The Tesla Model S remained in its lane in 17 of the curve trials, and five of the hill trials.
But, when it came to adaptive cruise control (ACC), a technology that sets a vehicle's speed and distance from the vehicle in front of it, IIHS said the Teslas put in a mixed performance.
One of the main features of adaptive cruise control is that it's designed to slow a car down as it approaches other vehicles ahead of it, and to come to a full stop if necessary. However, the IIHS study determined that cars equipped with ACC might still not react in time to vehicles that have already come to a stop.
IIHS said that when the Teslas had their ACC systems turned off, automatic braking turned on and were traveling at 31 miles an hour, the Model 3 and Model S braked as expected, but still hit an inflatable target. However, when their ACC systems were turned on, the Teslas did not hit the test's balloon target.
A Tesla spokesperson said the company had no comment on the IIHS report. In prior ratings, IIHS has given Tesla's braking systems a "superior" assessment level.
The IIHS report stressed that many of the instances in its tests were covered in the vehicles' owner's manuals, and that drivers need to keep in mind that their cars are not capable of driving on their own.
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