https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/10/after-cutting-radar-tesla-now-dropping-ultrasonic-sensors-from-its-evs/

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O_o --

After cutting radar, Tesla now dropping ultrasonic sensors from its
EVs

Most automakers use multiple redundant sensors. Tesla thinks
otherwise.

Jonathan M. Gitlin - Oct 5, 2022 3:34 pm UTC

When Tesla first started marketing its driver assists, it relied on
radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors all working together.
Enlarge / When Tesla first started marketing its driver assists, it
relied on radar, cameras, and ultrasonic sensors all working
together.
Tesla

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On Wednesday, Tesla announced that it is dropping yet another set of
sensors from its electric vehicles. The latest casualty? Ultrasonic
sensors, usually found embedded in the bumpers, that allow for
assisted parking features.

At first, it will just be the Models 3 and Y that rely solely on
cameras for the entire array of driver assists that Tesla offers.
However, the automaker says that after rolling out this change
globally, it will then do the same for the Models S and X in 2023.

Tesla says that despite dropping radar from its adaptive cruise
control and automatic emergency braking functions--which now rely
solely on cameras--its vehicles "have either maintained or improved
their active safety ratings in the US and Europe and perform better
in pedestrian automatic emergency braking (AEB) intervention."

However, the automaker elides the fact that its removal of radar from
its EVs has resulted in an ongoing National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration investigation into hundreds of cases of phantom
braking--in effect, false-positive activations of the cars' automatic
emergency braking system.

Tesla says that its systems will improve in performance over time and
that Models 3 and Y that arrive without the ultrasonic sensors will
not be capable of parking assist, autopark, summon, or smart summon.
Tesla claims that these functions will be restored once its
vision-only system has achieved parity with the old ultrasonic
sensors.

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Jonathan M. Gitlin Jonathan is the automotive editor at Ars Technica,
covering all things car-related. Jonathan lives and works in
Washington, D.C. Email jonathan.gitlin@arstechnica.com // Twitter
@drgitlin
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