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Testing self-driving cars | kare11.com
We wanted to see what the best self-driving features are that a Minnesotan can purchase right now.
MINNEAPOLIS — Self-driving cars may sound pretty cool, but 81 percent of American consumers have never been in one — and 93 percent of Americans have concerns about it — according to a Forbes Advisor poll out just this year.
But what are they actually like on the road? And why are some calling their widespread use “inevitable?”
“It’s really not a technology problem anymore,” said Phil Magney, owner of VSI Labs headquartered in St. Louis Park. “It’s all about how it’s implemented.”
Magney has worked with several major car manufacturers testing self-driving technology for a decade. He believes autonomous driving will become standard in the future, but the current problem is getting past the liability bump.
“It’s going to be really interesting over the next 10 years [which companies] survive,” said Magney.
We wanted to see the best self-driving features a Minnesotan can purchase right now.
Industry experts all recommended three manufacturers: Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.
2024 all-electric Cadillac Lyriq
MSRP for the Lyriq starts at $53,074 featuring big screens, bright colors, and Caddy comfort along with General Motors’ level 2 self-driving tech called Super Cruise.
“You’ll be able to take your hands completely off the wheel and kind of take a break from the driving experience and just let the car do it for you,” said Ben Dando, new car sales manager at Morries Golden Valley Cadillac.
For now, Super Cruise only works on highways, using sensors, cameras and LiDAR-scanned map data to ensure you’re staying in your lane. It will adjust to traffic speed and make lane changes for you.
Our drive was Cadillac-smooth, and engaging Super Cruise was one touch of a button on the steering wheel.
It’s quite accurate at staying in the center of the lane and adjusting to traffic speeds and turns.
It automatically disengaged a few times, kicking control back to the driver — once under an overpass, likely due to a GPS error, according to Dando, and once on a two-lane merge.
“Sometimes GM disengages it for certain portions of the road to ensure that any merging traffic, or things of that nature, doesn’t interfere with your ability to stay safe,” said Dando.
The vehicle also keeps an eye out for your eyes. If they stray from the road too long, Super Cruise will default control back to the driver with an alert saying they looked away for too long.
GM’s Super Cruise is available in six Cadillac models, the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet’s Bolt.
2024 Mercedes-Benz S580
This is the flagship vehicle of Mercedes-Benz, priced at $140,000 — and the manufacturer didn’t cut any corners when it came to comfort. The vehicle is equipped with Mercedes-Benz’s assisted-driving Drive Pilot technology.
Last year, Mercedes became the first consumer car to breach Level 3 autonomy on the Society of Automotive Engineers 0-5 scale. This means the car will drive you without supervision from the driver. Level 3 Drive Pilot only works in highway traffic under 40 miles an hour, and it’s currently only available on major highways in California and Nevada.
Being in Minnesota, we were able to test Mercedes’ Level 2 features.
“It’s cooperative self-driving,” said Nick Griffin, new car manager with Sears Imported Autos. “You’re going to be in control of the vehicle. The vehicle will have systems it can operate into itself, but you are still pushing buttons and paying attention to the road.”
This feature is similar to the Lyriq, but it can work on most roads and not just highways. It keeps you in lane and at speed, but it won’t follow navigation directions or react to traffic lights. That’s still on the driver.
“If it starts slowing down too much and sees an open lane, it’ll recommend a lane change and just do it,” said Griffin during our test drive.
The self-drive experience was intuitive and reliable. Not once during our rush-hour test on 394 and 494 did the system disengage for any technical or decision-making error.
The assistance allows the driver to pay much less attention to the dangerous details of highway driving and comfortably breathe through the tumult (while getting a back massage).
2024 Tesla Model Y FSD
We asked Tesla if it wanted to participate in this story. We received no response from the corporate office’s press department.
Thankfully, Phil Magney of VSI Labs allowed us to sample his Model Y Long Range.
MSRP on Tesla’s website is $47,990 for the all-wheel drive model. Purchasers have the option to include Full Self-Driving for $8,000 upfront, or they can subscribe to the software for $99 per month.
This SUV-ish Model Y lacked some of the luxury features of the Cadillac and Mercedes models we tested, but its single, centralized large screen and Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode were its “wow” factors.
“It’s reconstructing the scene. It’s using all its cameras to piece it all together,” said Magney as the screen showed a Matrix-like digital rendering of everything around us in real-time.
We asked the vehicle for directions to a location, pulled down the drive stalk once, and from there, the vehicle’s software and AI systems will take over.
Traffic light signals, intersections, city roads and on-ramps, the vehicle handles the decisions and drives the car. The driver must keep their eyes on the road and nudge the steering wheel (when prompted) to maintain FSD mode.
“How’s it going to do with the roundabout?” I asked Magney as we approached one in self-drive mode. “This is a complex deal. Yield, enter, turn, and wow. It nailed it.”
The FSD experience was the closest we came to fully autonomous driving among the models we tested.
But its Super Vision still required some supervision.
During our half-hour test, the FSD went straight in a turn-only lane, failed to merge when other cars were in the way and didn’t know what to do once we reached our destination.
Overall, trying the latest self-driving features across brands gave me an appetizer of what’s possible in the near future and beyond.
Autonomous driving is the next major evolution in automobiles.
So, buckle up — it’s coming fast.
On the eve of a big holiday event in downtown Northfield, someone cut down a tree in the center of town. It wasn’t down for long.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — On the morning of the annual Winter Walk event in downtown Northfield, the brightly colored Christmas tree at the center of it all was in shambles.
“I got a text from one of the city streets guys saying the Grinch has been downtown and took out a tree,” said Jane Bartho, president of the Northfield Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. “I’m like, are you sure the wind didn’t take it out?”
After seeing a photo of the tree, Bartho had a definitive answer to her question.
Jane Bartho: “Yeah, clearly it was not the wind. It looked like a chainsaw took it off. You could see a path where somebody dragged the tree across the street.”
Kent Erdahl: “So you see the path and then you think, ‘Okay, it is the Grinch.’
Bartho: “It was the Grinch because who else? Who else would do it? I just can’t imagine. I cannot imagine who… who would have done that.”
But dwelling in ‘who?’ville wasn’t an option for Bartho, not with a event just hours away, which would draw thousands of people into downtown.
“Honestly, most of my focus yesterday was about the event,” she said.
Though the city crew was able to trim the base of the tree and get it upright again, the decorations were in disrepair.
“I mean, even the lights were cut,” Bartho said.
“Yeah, they cut the lights,” said Zandra Bornhauser, who was part of the team with Home Town Credit Union who sponsored the tree and had decorated it. “So we had to redecorate it fully, pretty much.”
“We were just shocked,” said Kurt Halverson, who helped with the tree repair. “It was just hard to understand who would take the effort on such a cold night to come down here in such a public space and cut down something that’s just meant to be a symbol of good and cheer.”
Thanks to their quick work, the team of helpers made sure that Grinch didn’t rob anyone of that cheer. The tree was back shining bright by the time the festival began Thursday night.
“It was magical,” Bartho said.
“It was so inspiring to see how everybody rallied around to wish us good luck in re-setting up the tree,” Halverson said. “It really did bring the community closer together on such a cold evening.”
As for the cold-hearted grinch, Bartho says they’re still checking security cameras and asking around.
“To see if anybody was looking out,” she said. “If anybody saw anything.”
And if they are eventually identified?
Bartho: “Maybe the punishment would have to be to decorate the tree every year in this frigid weather.”
Erdahl: “If you’re going to keep with the theme, you’ve got to invite them down and sing with them, right? You’ve got to warm that cold heart.”
Bartho: “At the end, yeah, his heart was warmed by the people in his life, so maybe the punishment would be to come down and have hot chocolate, feel the Christmas spirit and never do that again.”
Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
MINNESOTA, USA — Despite Give to the Max Day breaking donation records, nonprofits tell us they still need help to keep up the demand for their services.
According to a recent survey by the Council of Nonprofits, 73 percent of Minnesota organizations reported they have grown programs and services to meet the demands of Minnesotans.
Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
Open Arms is a nonprofit that delivers food to critically ill people. It said December is a crucial month for donations, because they will make decisions on their programs and services for the next year.
“Wages and the cost of ingredients have gone up 30% since the end of COVID or the end of the COVID years, and so that is really, really hard on all nonprofits,” said CEO Leah Hébert Welles. “And then the second thing, government funds have dried up.”
“It’s almost kind of like the way that the tide works and a big body of water where there is still significant need, but that wave of resources from 2020 has backed up, and the need for nonprofits is still right there,” said Jake Blumberg, the executive director of GiveMN, the organization in charge of Give to the Max Day.
Blumberg says 30% of donations for nonprofits happen in the last six weeks of the year.
“We have to make really hard decisions about what we can do next year, how many more people we can help, how many more staff we can hire,” said Welles,
To consider donation or volunteering to Open Arms of Minensota, click here.
To explore more nonprofits, visit GiveMN.org.
According to the report, the BPPD said Andre Lane has been missing since 11 a.m. this morning.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — The Brooklyn Park Police Department is asking for the public to help find a missing man who has Alzheimer’s.
According to the alert, the BPPD said 57-year-old Andre Lane has been missing since 2 p.m. this afternoon.
He stands at 5’9″ and weighs roughly 250 pounds. Lane suffers from Alzheimer’s and dementia and may not be able to take care of himself, said the BPPD.
Lane was last seen wearing grayish-blue Levi’s jacket, black hat, black sweatpants, a gray long sleeve t-shirt and black Jordan shoes, according to the report.
Officials believe Lane left his residence, near the 6600 block of Tessman Terrace, on foot. The BPPD is asking people who live near Tessman Farm Road/85th Avenue North to check yards and properties.
Anyone who sees Lane is asked to contact the Brooklyn Park Police Department at 763-493-8222.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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