Tesla announced that it will introduce a “pure vision” system to the Model S sedan and Model X SUV, and promised its driver assistance system Autopilot and “full vision”. The “Autonomous Driving” (FSD) suite will use camera-based perception.
Back in May 2021, Tesla announced that all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles delivered starting that month would no longer be equipped with radar. Instead, the vehicles will utilize Tesla’s Vision-only system, which uses only eight external cameras to support semi-autonomous driving features.
Tesla wrote in a blog post last year: “Starting in May 2021, Model 3 and Model Y built for the North American market will be optimized for the Tesla Vision system and no longer have radar. If you place an order before May, you may receive a car without radar installed, and your Tesla account will be notified of the change before delivery.”
Tesla has not announced when it will bring the pure vision system to the Model S and Model X, and it is focusing on removing radar first on the Model 3 and Model Y, which sell much more than the Model S and Model X. , which allows Tesla to obtain a large amount of data in a short period of time. Tesla said the company will determine the right time to introduce the pure vision system to the Model S and Model X as soon as possible.
On Friday night, Tesla officially announced on its “Transition to Tesla Vision” page that all Model S and Model X vehicles produced starting in mid-February will only support a pure vision system and no longer use any radar. to perform its function. “As of mid-February 2022, all Model S and Model X manufactured for the North American market use the Tesla Vision system, while all Model S and Model X previously manufactured for the North American market were equipped with radar,” the company wrote. ”
Tesla said some features may not be available in vehicles using pure vision systems. Currently, the Autosteer will be limited to a top speed of 128km/h and will follow the car in front longer than usual. “Over the next few weeks, we will begin restoring these features through a series of over-the-air software updates,” Tesla wrote. “All other available Autopilot and FSD features will also be active on delivery, depending on order configuration.” .”
The move culminates in Tesla’s strategy to shift to a purely vision-based approach, something Musk has long been determined to achieve. During the first-quarter 2021 earnings call, Musk said that there is no need for cars to use radar because humans only use vision to drive. According to Musk, the vehicle will also only rely on vision.
Musk said: When your vision is working, it’s like you have 8 cameras, like you have eyes on the back of your head, on the left and right sides of your head, and you have three eyes with different focal lengths to look forward. This is in Process data at superhuman speed. In my opinion, there is no doubt that with pure vision solutions, we can make cars that are much safer to drive than the average human being.