Removal of traditional parking sensors leads to unreliable and potentially dangerous results
In an attempt to save money and improve profit margins, Tesla has made the controversial decision to remove traditional ultrasonic parking sensors from its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. These sensors have been a staple in the automotive industry for decades, helping drivers safely park their cars by detecting the distance of objects from the front or rear of a vehicle. Tesla’s replacement for this proven technology? Its AI-based camera system, Tesla Vision.
However, recent tests have shown that Tesla Vision’s performance in parking situations is far from reliable. A UK-based independent EV dealer and Tesla owner posted a video demonstrating the system’s failures in various parking scenarios, including the car reversing into a pedestrian at a low speed while claiming it still had room to move further back.
The situational awareness map displayed by Tesla Vision was also found to be inconsistent and inaccurate, with vehicles appearing to jump around and even showing a large truck in the way of the car when none of the surrounding vehicles had moved.
Moreover, Tesla does not offer reverse autonomous emergency braking – a basic safety feature available on many new cars – which would stop the vehicle if it were about to reverse into a person or another vehicle.
While it is true that Tesla is constantly working to improve its technology and software updates may eventually resolve these issues, for now, Tesla owners are left with an unreliable parking assistance system that could result in accidents and damage to their vehicles. Until a reliable fix is in place, Tesla drivers are urged to rely on their own vision, mirrors, and the reverse camera for parking assistance rather than trusting the information provided by Tesla Vision.