According to documents posted to the Federal Communications Commission, Tesla plans to add a new radar product to its vehicles in mid-January.
first disclosure Reported by Electrekcome as a company face scrutiny beyond safety function a standard advanced driver assistance system known as Autopilot; $15,000 An optional upgrade product branded as “fully autonomous”. The Tesla FSD Beta software offers some autonomous driving features, but it is not an autonomous driving system.
Luxury EV makers have long claimed they could achieve fully autonomous driving A “visual only” approach This avoids other sensors such as lidar and radar in favor of cameras and deep neural networks that quickly process the vehicle’s surroundings and respond in real time. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously promised to “solve” full self-driving cars by the end of this year (he also promised Tesla would get there every year). about 9 years now). He recently admitted that solving problems takes time.
And perhaps, as all other autonomous vehicle engineers say, cameras alone can’t really achieve it yet.
company started radar removal From the car in May last year. October, Tesla Removed 12 ultrasonic sensors From Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured for North America, Europe, Middle East and Taiwan. Ultrasonic sensors measure distance via ultrasound and are used as proximity sensors to support anti-collision safety systems, especially in parking lots.
Now it looks like the radar is back. It is not yet clear which models will get the new radar. His 4D imaging in ultra-high resolution According to Ram Machness, chief business officer of Arbe Robotics, which manufactures his radar, the type of radar Tesla plans to bring to market next year is one that the FCC has identified for his ADAS use cases. of the frequency assigned to
Tesla originally filed with the FCC in June to use the new radar. This is described as “76-77 GHz Automotive Radar”.
“The operating frequency (76-77 GHz) and mechanical design of the sensor from Tesla’s FCC filing make it likely that this radar will be used in ADAS applications,” Ambarella told TechCrunch.
He said that while this “edge” radar sensor has limited capabilities, it’s a positive development that Tesla is looking to add radar to its perception stack for safety-critical and robust performance.
Earlier this year, the FCC gave Tesla classified information to keep details of its new radar secret. Late last month, Tesla applied for an additional 60-day extension from her December 7 expiration date for its non-disclosure agreement.
The letter of approval to the FCC states: 2023-02-07.”
FCC filings show that regulators have granted Tesla’s secrecy extension request.