Have you ever wondered how Tesla has achieved a high level of autonomy in its vehicles?

How Does Work?

Tesla Autopilot

How Does Work?

Tesla Autopilot

Teslas mainly use 8 onboard cameras to “see.”

The company’s cars also use 12 ultrasonic sensors and  front-facing radar.

Tesla's cameras, ultrasonic sensors, radar, and computers can reliably detect lane markings, obstacles, traffic lights, signs, and other vehicles.

Enhanced autopilot mode is available for an extra

$6,000

$6,000

while the “full self-driving” package is an additional

$12,000

Each package adds more driving assistance features.

Video Source: Tesla

Tesla drivers still need to make regular steering wheel or control inputs to verify that they’re paying attention.

Despite advertising  a “full self-driving” feature,

Teslas are not

fully autonomous.

Tesla’s autopilot system can still be susceptible to accidents.

There have been

273

Tesla autopilot-related crashes in the past year.

Image Source: New York Times

The driver is still responsible.

After engaging the autopilot feature, a Tesla  will even remind you that it isn’t autonomous and that you are still responsible for the car at all times.

Video Source: Tesla

While Tesla relies on cameras, most other vehicle manufacturers have designed their autonomous driving systems around

Image Source: Forbes

Lidar.

Lidar.

What's

Lidar?

Lidar stands for Light Detection and Ranging.

It creates a beam of infrared light.  This allows the vehicle to map what’s ahead by recording how long the light takes to get back.

Lidar is similar to radar, but it’s

better at reading the shape of objects on the road.

However, Lidar

struggles in bad weather

because it’s a light-based system.

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, isn’t a fan of Lidar.

At one point, he wrote: “Humans drive through the eyes that see… there’s no reason an autonomous vehicle would not work the same way.”

Video Source: TED

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Video Source: Tesla