Tesla autopilot - what it's like to drive.

I drove a self-driving car in Vancouver. The Tesla, the luxury electric car, just rolled out an autopilot function a few weeks ago that combines laser radar, ultrasound detectors, GPS, and regular camera inputs to recognize the road and obstacles as it drives. Here is the maverick founder of the Tesla company describing (revealing) the technology to the press. Start at 6:40 in the video: 

http://youtu.be/aBYnj10wzbw

So I went to the tiny dealership in downtown Vancouver, accompanied by three friends who were excited to come along when they heard I'd booked it. The Tesla store like to describe themselves as an information center rather than a dealership, because sales and vehicle delivery is all arranged online. There a single vehicle in the showroom and lots of computer screens, and a very different feel compared to other car dealers. 

We took a narrow passage from the storefront to a parking garage where two vehicles were waiting. The car has a luxurious, sleek feel throughout. It has the absolutely largest display console you've ever seen. And a smooth, slightly heavy, remarkably quiet feel when you drive it. And way, way too much power. I never even pushed the accelerator more than half way. Fast acceleration is fun but it's the exact opposite of what interests me about electric cars. (See http://youtu.be/LpaLgF1uLB8)

With a few instructions from the sales agent, I pulled twice on the cruise control lever, and it took over the steering. If you force the wheel a different direction while it's driving, it takes a small amount of force, like the resistance of pulling a magnet off a refrigerator door, and the steering wheel vibrates to acknowledge you've taken over steering. It's very intuitive. 

You have to keep your hands hovering over the steering wheel in case it can't identify the road markings, but it has an eery and smooth feel. 

Here's someone's video where you can see both the view of the road and a close up of the dashboard. 

http://youtu.be/4CZe5DXeYzw