Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dropping radar navigation in North America

The latest news from the automaker Tesla confirms that it is dropping the forward radar sensor from the Model Y and Model 3, for vehicles manufactured in North America. The automaker affirms that this marks the beginning of the rollout of new technologies as per its ‘Tesla Vision’ plan. 

The latest vision will be supporting Full-Self Driving (FSD), Autopilot, and several other safety-related features in the car. However, the ongoing Model X and Model S aren’t a part of the update as of now. The reason behind the models X and S being left out is that the automaker deems them as low-volume sellers. 

Prior to Tesla Vision, the suite of sensors present in the ongoing Tesla cars showcases around eight cameras, including three forward-facing units, two rearward-looking side cameras, two forward-looking side cameras, and a rear-view camera. The set of cameras is further enhanced by 12 ultrasonic sensors that can be found around the car’s body and a forward radar sensor, responsible to read lines on the road and detect the presence of nearby cars.

The autonomous car manufacturers generally include a combination of radar and cameras, accompanied by a lidar to help them deliver with the sensing technology. These systems are also responsible to deliver features like adaptive cruise control and advanced driver assistance, matching the speed of the car to its surrounding traffic.

Now, with the removal of radar tech, the Model 3 and Model Y will majorly rely on the cameras for safer driving. Further, as per Musk, the so-called neural net processing will still be able to detect what’s happening around the car and be able to respond to the surroundings appropriately.

Lastly, Tesla didn’t state when or not it will be removing the radar sensors present on its offering in the vehicles built for European and Chinese customers.

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