Tesla is giving all its new cars hardware for full self-driving capability.
All of Tesla vehicles being produced in its factory, including the Model 3, would be equipped with the hardware that will allow Level 5 self-driving capability, announced the company in a press release only a few days ago.
Tesla described the hardware in details. The full self-driving capability will be at a “safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on a call with journalists that “the foundation for fully autonomous driving is laid” and his team need some ore time to complete the software validation and get final approval by the regulator.
Every new Tesla, including the upcoming Model 3 sedan, will be fitted with eight cameras that provide 360-degree visibility around the car with up to 250 meters of range. In contrast, prior Teslas had only one camera. The surround cameras come with twelve ultrasonic sensors to allow detection of hard and soft objects at nearly twice the distance in comparison to the previous system. A new forward-facing radar with enhanced processing provides additional data about the surrounding world and will aid to see in heavy rain, fog, and dust. Tesla says that two rear facing cameras will monitor blind spots each side of the car when safely changing lanes.
In addition to this hardware, new network software has been developed and Musk says that the system will soon be 10 times as safe as a human driver.
After a year of testing the new hardware, Musk said that “by the end of 2017” he plans to do a Los Angeles-to-New York drive “without the need for a single touch.”