Two minor InnoDrive/ACC/ALK observations

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Noticed this on my drive home yesterday, because it was non-typically stop and go.


First, let me preface that I turned off the setting where InnoDrive automatically honors the speed limit, because it sometimes engaged speed limits that weren't even for me. (I'm not a truck!) However, as you may know, InnoDrive still prompts you (in the HUD at least) when it detects a speed limit. If you want to engage it, pull the cruise control stalk to "Resume". So far so good, nothing surprising.

But did you know that you can actually always set the preset speed to the currently know speed limit by pressing "Resume"? No matter when it was detected, without prompt, and most importantly for me, even if you just turned driving assistance on and it's still set to the super low speed you're currently going?

This was a godsend when I turned on InnoDrive in stop and go. I was doing something like 6 mph due to traffic, and previously I'd always annoyingly push the stalk forward until it's at a more reasonable maximum speed. Now I know I can just push up to "Resume", and I'm good to go.

I don't know if that works with ACC only.


Second, and this is more of a question: On that same trip, I sometimes saw in the HUD, during stop and go, that the lane markers turned gray (from green), but the steering wheel stayed green. And indeed, the car was still steering.

I'm a bit confused what that means. I know that a gray steering wheel means it's not actively steering. And I always had the impression that one or two gray lane markers meant that the car won't actively keep me within the lane marker that's not green. But what does a green steering wheel with gray lane markers mean, especially because it still did steer?

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[anonymouse]

what does a green steering wheel with gray lane markers mean, especially because it still did steer?

I think that this means the car is steering but isn’t using lane markers to guide it, typically because the lane markers are worn or missing. For example it may be following the line of the car in front. The Taycan does this reasonably well (although less reliable than Tesla Autopilot which by design will try to steer regardless of what the road throws at it). You have to be alert though, because if the Taycan disengages steering it will do so without any audible warning!

 

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I think that this means the car is steering but isn’t using lane markers to guide it, typically because the lane markers are worn or missing. For example it may be following the line of the car in front. The Taycan does this reasonably well (although less reliable than Tesla Autopilot which by design will try to steer regardless of what the road throws at it). You have to be alert though, because if the Taycan disengages steering it will do so without any audible warning!

Oh, I did not know the car was able to do that, neat.

Yeah, I'm always alert when using InnoDrive. The HUD helps.

 

[uthatcher]

Hi, new here, but picked up a Chalk GTS about 2 weeks ago.

Arn't the lines next to the wheel icon in question for the lane monitoring? I have Innodrive and I believe when I turned off lane monitoring the lines went away. Note, I use Innodrive all the time, but did not like the warnings from lane monitoring so I turned it off.

 

[W1NGE]

Noticed this on my drive home yesterday, because it was non-typically stop and go.


First, let me preface that I turned off the setting where InnoDrive automatically honors the speed limit, because it sometimes engaged speed limits that weren't even for me. (I'm not a truck!) However, as you may know, InnoDrive still prompts you (in the HUD at least) when it detects a speed limit. If you want to engage it, pull the cruise control stalk to "Resume". So far so good, nothing surprising.

But did you know that you can actually always set the preset speed to the currently know speed limit by pressing "Resume"? No matter when it was detected, without prompt, and most importantly for me, even if you just turned driving assistance on and it's still set to the super low speed you're currently going?

This was a godsend when I turned on InnoDrive in stop and go. I was doing something like 6 mph due to traffic, and previously I'd always annoyingly push the stalk forward until it's at a more reasonable maximum speed. Now I know I can just push up to "Resume", and I'm good to go.

I don't know if that works with ACC only.


Second, and this is more of a question: On that same trip, I sometimes saw in the HUD, during stop and go, that the lane markers turned gray (from green), but the steering wheel stayed green. And indeed, the car was still steering.

I'm a bit confused what that means. I know that a gray steering wheel means it's not actively steering. And I always had the impression that one or two gray lane markers meant that the car won't actively keep me within the lane marker that's not green. But what does a green steering wheel with gray lane markers mean, especially because it still did steer?

Grey normally means passive - on and available but not active. Same grey scheme used for other settings.

 

[TDinDC]

I initially hated Innodrive, but now I like it.

you can use Innodrive with the strict speed limit following turned off. This was a game changer for me as I hated Innodrive at first because it would see speed limit signs and then slow me down 20 mph rapidly and unexpectedly.

Once that is turned off, it works mostly well.

And it is a big transition from Tesla autopilot world. You have to understand that they are designed to achieve completely different goals: it’s not really accurate to compare the two at all as they are not even trying to do the same thing.

Tesla autopilot is designed to completely take over (With you supervising) and it will warn you loudly if you need to “begin” driving. I’m fact, it’s a pain in the @ss if you want to take over. For example, if you forget to turn it off and you accelerate (eg, to pass), it can punish you by turning it off completely for the rest of your trip because you are not supposed to do that.

Porsche does not want to take over. It wants to be an assistance technology that NEVER interferes or distracts the driver. It will not warn you when it is not reading lanes or car in front apart from through color of assistance icons on HUD and dash when it is not assisting.

the lane markers are green when the car is reading the lane marker. If both are green, the car will center between lane markers. If only one is green, the car will not center and you could go off the road on the side of the grey marker, but it will not cross the marker on the green side. If you turn on your turn signal, it will override the lane marker on the side you have indicated. The green steering wheel means it is following the car in front of you. Sometimes you have one or both lane indicators green with a grey steering wheel, which means the car is following lane markers only. Sometimes you have a green steering wheel with grey lane markers, which means the car is following the car in front but not lane markers. When both the steering wheel and both lane markers are green, the car is most like Tesla autopilot.

One huge safety issue to watch IMO is that the car is awful about having a narrow detection range in front. So if you are going 50 mph but Innodrive is set at, say, 100 mph, and you change lanes to go from behind a car doing 50 mph to behind a car doing 60 mph, the car will accelerate violently as soon as you are halfway through the lane change as the sensor “loses” sight of the car you were behind and has yet to detect the other car in the destination lane. It can be quite dangerous. The same is true for a corner on my way home from work. It is a left hand turn at a T intersection with two lanes turning left. If I have the car set at, say, 40 mph, when we start moving with a car in front of me after the red light turns green, the car will accelerate violently when the car in front makes the turn and my car detects “no traffic” in front of me. I now just deactivate the system at that corner.

 

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Grey normally means passive - on and available but not active. Same grey scheme used for other settings.

Which is why I was confused why it still was steering by itself, if the lane markers are passive. But apparently it can also follow cars!

 

[TDinDC]

Which is why I was confused why it still was steering by itself, if the lane markers are passive. But apparently it can also follow cars!

If either lane or the steering wheel is green, assistance will be based on the green element(s). Grey means that the assistance system is turned on, but no assistance is being provided based on the grey element(s) at that moment.

 

[uthatcher]

I’m not sure some of the explanations here are correct. But the manual does explain the difference between Lane Keep Assist and Active Lane Keeping, and the display notifications that accompany the two different systems.

 

[magnitude]

Ah okay, so I guess in my case yesterday, the car was still providing "lane center guidance" (and steering to keep the lane center, presumably), but would not care, not try to prevent, lane departure?

 

[TDinDC]

I’m not sure some of the explanations here are correct. But the manual does explain the difference between Lane Keep Assist and Active Lane Keeping, and the display notifications that accompany the two different systems.

Actually, that is consistent with my explanation. As with all topics, the manual only provides half of the story and leaves out the practical explanation.

when the steering wheel is green and the lane markers are grey, it follows the car in front and it is as if the lane markers do not exist. If the car crosses the lane markers under these circumstances, so will you because it’s as if the lane markers do not exist.
If both lane markers are green, the car will center between them, but if one is grey and the other is green, it cannot center because it’s as if the grey lane marker does not exist.

 

[uthatcher]

I’m not sure some of the explanations here are correct. But the manual does explain the difference between Lane Keep Assist and Active Lane Keeping, and the display notifications that accompany the two different systems.

Ah okay, so I guess in my case yesterday, the car was still providing "lane center guidance" (and steering to keep the lane center, presumably), but would not care, not try to prevent, lane departure?

That is correct. Currently I use Lane Centering without Lane Keep Assist. They are two independent systems with different functions that can be toggled on/off individually as desired.

When Lane Keep Assist is toggled to the off position in the car, you no longer have the lines indicator in the display, gray or green.

As for functionality, I do not believe from experience, nor from reading, that either of these systems is dependent on a vehicle in front of your car to operate. Perhaps a vehicle in front can influence the Taycan’s decision making with certain actions, but you can have the full functionality of the systems while completely alone on the road.

I’ve garnered all of this in the 700 miles I’ve driven my GTS with experience and looking things up. I’m coming from Tesla, and the two vehicle’s software behave so differently that I’ve been forced to investigate and experiment to some extent. While confident in my basic assessment, due to the newness of the vehicle, I could be missing or misunderstanding something.

 

[McgR]

I’m not sure some of the explanations here are correct. But the manual does explain the difference between Lane Keep Assist and Active Lane Keeping, and the display notifications that accompany the two different systems.


That is correct. Currently I use Lane Centering without Lane Keep Assist. They are two independent systems with different functions that can be toggled on/off individually as desired.

When Lane Keep Assist is toggled to the off position in the car, you no longer have the lines indicator in the display, gray or green.

As for functionality, I do not believe from experience, nor from reading, that either of these systems is dependent on a vehicle in front of your car to operate. Perhaps a vehicle in front can influence the Taycan’s decision making with certain actions, but you can have the full functionality of the systems while completely alone on the road.

I’ve garnered all of this in the 700 miles I’ve driven my GTS with experience and looking things up. I’m coming from Tesla, and the two vehicle’s software behave so differently that I’ve been forced to investigate and experiment to some extent. While confident in my basic assessment, due to the newness of the vehicle, I could be missing or misunderstanding something.

My previous X5 had this functionality. The manual said in abcense of lane markings it would follow the car in front. And it did indeed in traffic jams for example. I havent seen this functionality mentioned in the Porsche manual and I didn't have the same feeling that the Tacan would follow the car in front. Would be interesting to know.

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