Tesla, what do you want for Autopilot? Radar, no radar, now radar again

Previously, Tesla used radar for its autopilot system. But since last year, the American brand has only switched to cameras because they were the best, Elon Musk said. But the unpredictable CEO is now backing down from that.

Tesla — and Elon Musk in particular — has been promising fully self-driving cars for years. There was even a video on Youtube showing Musk predicting for almost a decade that it’s really going to happen now. But of course it still hasn’t happened.

Tesla Autopilot with cameras only

Tesla previously used cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors for Autopilot and the Full Self-Driving Beta system. However, the last two were scrapped because Musk believes cameras are more than enough to build self-driving cars.

The elimination of cameras and ultrasonic sensors probably also has something to do with cost savings, but Tesla has never commented on this. Cameras would be better, they say, because public roads are designed for human eyes.

Radar sensors will be installed again in January

That’s not the case, because the radar sensors will return in the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. The website Electrek found some documents in which Tesla informs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about the new radar.

The manufacturer announces that the devices should be used from January 2023. So Elon Musk retracted his statement: “Cameras alone are safer than the combination of camera and radar, no less safe.”

Fatal motorcycle accidents

There have been several fatal accidents involving Teslas on Autopilot and motorcyclists in recent months. The cause is being investigated, but it appears the Tesla cameras mistook the motors for cars moving in the distance.

The US Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation last year. This revolves around the question of whether Tesla can be held responsible and liable for dozens of fatal accidents in which Autopilot played a role.

Autopilot and full self-driving non-autonomous

Autopilot is a collection of semi-autonomous systems and is similar to what other manufacturers are now offering. It’s not self-driving, but operates at Autonomous Level 2, which means it doesn’t work everywhere and needs to be monitored at all times.

Full Self-Driving Beta isn’t fully autonomous either, although the name might suggest it. The system was rolled out in the USA on a trial basis and is constantly being improved. That it doesn’t work optimally can be seen in dozens of YouTube videos of near-accidents.