Tesla announced on Tuesday, October 4, that it would be eliminating the Ultrasonic (USS) sensor in its vehicles.
“As of early October 2022, all Model 3 and Model Y made for North America, Europe, Middle East and Taiwan will no longer be built with ultrasonic sensors and rely solely on Tesla Vision,” the auto company wrote in an announcement found by Reuters.
Ultrasonic sensors have been used to measure distances using ultrasonic waves. The use of this sensor as a proximity sensor to support anti-collision security systems, especially in low speed applications such as parking.
The company explained that this Tesla Vision technology will serve to provide Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta capabilities, and other active safety features in vehicles.
“We will continue this rollout with the Model 3 and Model Y globally over the coming months, followed by the Model S and Model X in 2023,” he added.
During the current transition period, Tesla said it has no plans to remove ultrasonic sensors in its existing fleet.
For a short time during this transition, Tesla Vision vehicles that are not equipped with the USS will ship with some features temporarily restricted or inactive, such as Park assist, Autopark, Summon, and Smart summon.
- Park Assist: alerts you to nearby objects when the vehicle is traveling <5 mph.
- Autopark: automatically maneuver to parallel or perpendicular parking lots.
- Summon: manually move your vehicle forward or backward via the Tesla app.
- Smart Summon: navigate your vehicle to a location or locations of your choice via the Tesla app.
“In the near future, when these features reach performance equivalent to current vehicles, they will be restored through a series of over-the-air software updates.”
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