Comma openpilot – Open source driver-assistance

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

User experience and use cases

  • Multiple owners describe comma/openpilot as “life improving,” especially for long highway drives and heavy commute traffic.
  • Common pattern: people now choose cars based on compatibility, sometimes buying specific model years.
  • Reported benefits vs stock assist: fewer corrections, no taking exits by mistake, better curve handling, fewer dropouts in construction or light snow.
  • Often described as “not FSD, just lane assist—but next level.” On long trips users report very few disengagements, mainly for passing or turns.

Capabilities vs OEM and other players

  • Core feature set: Adaptive Cruise Control + Automated Lane Centering (ACC + ALC). No built‑in navigation; it doesn’t drive to a destination by itself.
  • Compared to OEM systems (HDA2, BlueCruise, etc.), users say openpilot:
    • Tracks lanes and even “laneless” roads much better, including weak/missing markings.
    • Avoids constant steering-wheel “nags” by using driver-monitoring cameras.
  • Tesla FSD is seen as more ambitious (urban and navigation), but some users prefer comma’s reliability on highways. Waymo is framed as full robotaxi with many more sensors.

Safety, liability, and insurance

  • Strong tension: enthusiastic daily users vs commenters calling DIY Level 2 on public roads “reckless.”
  • Several note incidents (curbs, side collisions) and stress that it’s strictly Level 2: the driver is always legally responsible and must be ready to take over instantly.
  • Concerns: unclear insurance treatment, potential policy voiding due to undeclared modifications, and lack of corporate liability compared to, e.g., Mercedes’ limited Level 3 system.
  • Debate over human factors:
    • One side: good assist systems encourage dangerous complacency.
    • Other side: they reduce monotony and free attention for situational awareness.

Hardware, compatibility, and hacking

  • Comma 4 uses three cameras (wide, telephoto, driver-facing) and controls via CAN bus; some cars also provide radar or only allow steering control.
  • Not all vehicles are or will be supported—encrypted CAN and newer architectures are obstacles.
  • Sunnypilot and other forks add features like decoupled steering vs throttle, blind-spot‑aware auto lane changes, and dynamic “experimental” modes.

Company, culture, and ecosystem

  • Discussion about leadership changes, the founder’s hacker background, and unconventional public persona.
  • Hiring via a public leaderboard is highlighted; older reports of more elitist interview filters are criticized.
  • Some view comma as a rare, scrappy, genuinely “hacker” robotics/AI company; others distrust it over website QA issues, GitHub-star marketing, and the self-install liability model.