Tesla's New Hardware 4 May Help Make Unprotected Turns Safer

Tesla's Hardware 4 has arrived, earlier than some folks expected, and it seems it will offer notable improvements over the automaker's current hardware suite. As more Tesla EVs with Hardware 4 come to market, people are noticing various changes related to the cameras. More specifically, we now know that the new system has a greater field of view.

Tesla's safety and advanced driver-assist systems rely on cameras alone. The vision-based technology works with an onboard computer and neural networks to essentially "see" the world much like we do and then identify obstacles, react, and make decisions based on what surrounds it.

CEO Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybertruck would debut with the new Hardware 4 system, which made it seem as though that's when we should expect the new cameras and computer to arrive. However, Tesla is already rolling out the hardware suite in some vehicles. Owners have pointed out the new cameras, a slot where a dummy camera currently lives, and the fact the devices are more advanced than those in the current suite, which is to be expected. 

With more advanced cameras that have higher resolution, greater overall clarity, and a wider field of view, Tesla's Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving Beta technologies stand to improve. Moreover, the new hardware features a more powerful processor.

Learn More About Tesla's Hardware 4:

Tesla’s New Hardware 4.0 Autopilot Computer Leaks: Here’s What We Know So Far

Tesla's Hardware 4 EVs Have An Unused Forward Camera Slot, But Why?

A 20-year-old software developer and Tesla owner Ryan Zohoury was the first to post about the Hardware 4 camera's improved field of view. He uploaded side-by-side images to Twitter showing the field of view in a vehicle with Hardware 3 compared to one with Hardware 4.

 

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As you can see, Ryan measured the field of view on the repeater cameras in a Model S with Hardware 4 versus the same view from a Model Y with Hardware 3. The expanded angle of the field of view and better resolution is clear in the images. This should make it safer for Hardware 4 cars to perform unprotected turns since they may not have to creep forward to "see" the traffic.

What do you think? As Tesla continues to improve its hardware, it seems its safety systems are likely to improve, but what about all the current owners with the old hardware who aren't provided the option to upgrade? Start a conversation in our comment section below.

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