Tesla Drops Radar for Camera-Only Autopilot in New Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla transitions its best-selling vehicles to a pure camera-based driver assistance system, removing radar sensors entirely. The shift brings temporary speed and feature limitations as the company adjusts to its new vision-only approach.
Tesla officially removes radar sensors from its driver-assistance system, transitioning new Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the U.S. and Canada to a camera-based setup. The company now relies entirely on camera vision and neural net processing to power Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, and active safety features. This shift aligns with CEO Elon Musk's previous statements that a pure vision approach is ultimately all that is needed for full autonomy.
Radar sensors cost relatively much and require significant computing power to process data, prompting Tesla to abandon the hardware. The automaker now delivers its first vehicles that operate without radar, trusting its software to interpret the road using only visual inputs. Customers who already placed orders receive notification of this major modification before they accept delivery of their cars.
During this transition period, Tesla warns that some features experience temporary limitations or outright disablement. Autosteer maxes out at 75 mph and enforces a longer following distance, while Smart Summon and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance remain inactive at delivery. Despite these short-term restrictions, Tesla continues to sell its premium Full Self-Driving package and enrolls select drivers as public road testers for its beta software.