All Tesla Cars Being Produced Now Have Full Self-Driving Hardware +VIDEO
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The Tesla Team
October 19, 2016
We are excited to announce that, as of today, all Tesla vehicles produced in our factory – including Model 3 – will have the hardware needed for full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver. Eight surround cameras provide 360 degree visibility around the car at up to 250 meters of range. Twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement this vision, allowing for detection of both hard and soft objects at nearly twice the distance of the prior system. A forward-facing radar with enhanced processing provides additional data about the world on a redundant wavelength, capable of seeing through heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.
To make sense of all of this data, a new onboard computer with more than 40 times the computing power of the previous generation runs the new Tesla-developed neural net for vision, sonar and radar processing software. Together, this system provides a view of the world that a driver alone cannot access, seeing in every direction simultaneously and on wavelengths that go far beyond the human senses.
Model S and Model X vehicles with this new hardware are already in production, and customers can purchase one today.
Before activating the features enabled by the new hardware, we will further calibrate the system using millions of miles of real-world driving to ensure significant improvements to safety and convenience. While this is occurring, Teslas with new hardware will temporarily lack certain features currently available on Teslas with first-generation Autopilot hardware, including some standard safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision warning, lane holding and active cruise control. As these features are robustly validated we will enable them over the air, together with a rapidly expanding set of entirely new features. As always, our over-the-air software updates will keep customers at the forefront of technology and continue to make every Tesla, including those equipped with first-generation Autopilot and earlier cars, more capable over time.
COMMENTS
From Karl Brauer, executive publisher for Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book:
“Tesla is approaching the autonomous driving challenge by incorporating a full battery of hardware on future cars. This will provide a foundation for fully autonomous driving capabilities at some future point, once the software is validated and the regulatory requirements are met. This hardware, combined with Tesla’s existing over-the-air update capabilities, will allow the automaker to continue improving its self-driving capabilities with minimal inconvenience for owners. It’s a big up-front commitment to self-driving technology that other automakers may not be willing to make at this point.”
From Rebecca Lindland, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
“Tesla is providing a vehicle right at the sweet spot of where consumers want to be – a Level 4 plus human driving option, since the vehicles will have pedals and steering wheels. Kelley Blue Book’s recent study showed that Level 4 is the most appealing version of autonomy for consumers, even if it’s not the safest.”
From Michael Harley, analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
“It’s actually not a challenge to offer a full range of Level 4 autonomous hardware to any new vehicle — this is essentially a collection of cameras, sensors, radars and processors. The most critical piece of the puzzle, which is missing from Tesla’s announcement, is the car-to-car communication that ensures full Level 4 autonomous riding is safe for passengers and pedestrians alike.”
From Akshay Anand, analyst for Kelley Blue Book:
“It looks like Tesla’s Autopilot features are that much closer to actually being true Autopilot and not just a name for a suite of autonomous features. If Tesla is closing in on Level 4 or even Level 5 autonomy being released to consumers, it’s a big step for the industry. The question then becomes how it translates to the consumer. Will each Tesla buyer need specific training for autonomous driving? Whether fair or not, Tesla has been under scrutiny with a few accidents concerning Autopilot this year, and the scrutiny will be magnified with this announcement and as the Model 3 edges closer. For now, though, the bigger question is still how Tesla ‘gets there’ in terms of profitability and longer term sustainability. For that, the Model 3 and Gigafactory still hold the answers.”
