Tesla is transitioning away from radar and to a camera-only system for Autopilot

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Announced quietly on the Tesla support pages, the EV company is transitioning to Tesla Vision, its camera-only version of Autopilot. Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles sold in the US will no longer have radar, starting with deliveries in May.

That means your new Tesla will rely completely on neural net processing of the many camera feeds on your vehicle, with no additional sensors to support Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, or some safety features.

If you’re outside the US, or if you want a Model X or Model S, your car will still have radar-supported Autopilot until Tesla “determine[s] the appropriate time to transition those vehicles to Tesla Vision.”

There are a couple of things to note about the near future of Tesla’s Autopilot (per Tesla):

• Autosteer will be limited to a maximum speed of 75 mph and feature a longer minimum following distance
• Smart Summon (if equipped) and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance may be disabled at delivery

The carmaker aims to add those features back as over-the-air updates in the weeks after delivery, assuming you get one of the early vehicles involved in this transition.

Maybe there’s some method to this madness, as the only other system that can drive is us, and our eyes are very close to cameras in operation.

If Tesla can crack machine vision for driving, that might be the breakthrough needed for machine vision that can rival or even surpass human vision, opening up whole new swathes of robotics for exploration.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• This video shows a Tesla driver being pulled over for driving 82 mph while asleep with Autopilot on
• California’s DMV is investigating Tesla for misrepresenting its self-driving capabilities
• Elon Musk’s Neurolink will push music directly into your brain
• Fake Elon Musk scams have cost consumers $2 million in crypto over the last six months

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.