Following Tesla’s decision in 2021Full Self-Driving, which will be required to rely solely on Tesla Vision to remove radar sensors from its electronic driver-assistance features, the company is currently working on removing ultrasonic sensors as well. It indicates that Tesla’s driver-assistance functions, such as Autopilot and Sentry, the camera-based sensing system that was created in-house by the firm,
Tesla Vision
On Tuesday, Tesla announced that it would stop installing ultrasonic sensors on its Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that were built for North America, Europe, and parts of Asia this month. The automaker also stated that it expects to stop installing the sensors on vehicles that were built for other regions in the coming months. In 2023, the car manufacturer will apply the same strategy to the Model S and Model X.
Ultrasonic sensors can be located on both the front and rear ends of Tesla vehicles, for a total of 12 sensors. In most cases, these are utilized in parking applications and for the detection of nearby objects.
Cameras and an algorithm that Tesla has termed “Occupancy Network” are used as part of the Tesla Vision system rather than these sensors. However, Tesla has stated that for the next several months, services like Park Assist and Summon, which are dependent on ultrasonic sensors, will be unavailable. This will be the case until the occupancy network is fully functional.
You might be asking why Tesla would want to remove sensors, especially considering that the company’s self-driving capacity falls well short of the promise that CEO Elon Musk made of vehicles that can drive themselves without anyone behind the wheel.
Musk has stated that the additional signal or noise generated by the sensors in combination with Tesla Vision makes the driver-assist features perform worse than Tesla Vision on its own, though he did not rule out adding back sensors if the performance is improved. The move will help Tesla save money on costs and the use of chips.
According to Tesla, when it comes to radar, vehicles equipped with Tesla Vision alone have either maintained or increased their active safety ratings in the United States and Europe when compared to vehicles that are also equipped with radar.
This is the case for both the Model 3 and the Model Y. Additionally, the company stated that automobiles equipped with Tesla Vision alone fared better in pedestrian autonomous emergency braking intervention tests. These allegations have not been verified by any of the safety agencies in the United States.
Questions That Are Typically Asked
How can I tell if the vehicle I am driving has ultrasonic sensors installed?
All Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built for North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Taiwan after the beginning of October 2022 will no longer be constructed with ultrasonic sensors but will instead rely solely on Tesla Vision to provide Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, FSD capability, and active safety features. This change will take effect immediately.
In the next months, we will continue this deployment with Model 3 and Model Y, which will be followed by Model S and Model X in 2023.
If you have recently taken delivery of your vehicle and are wondering whether or not it is outfitted with USS, you can locate the 12 sensors that make up USS on the front and back bumpers of your vehicle.
Does the switch to Tesla Vision, which does not include ultrasonic sensors, affect the safety ratings of the Model 3 and Model Y for vehicles that are delivered on or after October 2022?
No. There will be no change to crash safety ratings as a result of the shift. The crash safety ratings for vehicles that are equipped with Tesla Vision are the same as those for vehicles that are equipped with vision plus radar plus USS.
Will the usefulness of automobiles that already have ultrasonic sensors installed be taken away?
There is no plans to eliminate the functioning of ultrasonic sensors in any of our current fleet vehicles at this time.
Does the transition to Tesla Vision have any bearing on whether or not certain features will be available on vehicles delivered on or after October 2022?