Tesla has made some hardware changes to its flagship cars, including new cameras, high-definition radar, a new autopilot computer, and more.
Now, a recent owner of a Tesla Model S has shown improvements in what the new car with updated cameras at Tesla can see compared to a Model Y with older hardware.
Ryan Zohoury active Twitter showed his new Tesla Model S parked on the side of a curb. For a more realistic comparison, Ryan placed black tape perpendicular to the curb to see if the new 2023 Tesla Model S side repeater camera could capture it.
According to Ryan, the repeater cameras offer a noticeable improvement in the field of view that new cars with this hardware have.
The intention has been to see more of the road in automatic driving when the vehicle is making turns or crossing median strips where it is required to crawl to see any cross traffic.
The improvement is quite significant as the field of view shows the tape that Ryan placed on the road and the resolution looks much better with the 2023 Tesla Model S repeater cameras.
The Tesla Model Y with older hardware cannot capture the tape mark on the road with its side repeaters.
In typical Tesla fashion, the new hardware is released without the customer’s knowledge and is an improvement over the previous generation.
Traditional automakers typically tout upcoming features for months as part of a new model or upgrade launch before customers place orders for the vehicle, let alone take delivery.
Tesla has recently announced several other new changes to the Tesla Model S but hardware upgrades were left out of this communication.
Earlier this month, however, customers began receiving Model S and Model X vehicles in the US with the updated hardware which Tesla internally calls Hardware 4. This included high-definition radar and newer cameras in the vehicles to allow the vehicle to see more for future self-driving capabilities.
These cameras will also come to the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. This is part of an update to a Tesla Model 3, which may be in production in September of this year.
One insight into this update was the potential removal of the grain of the interior wood of the upcoming Tesla Model 3 in China as part of a project codenamed “Highland.”
With new, updated cameras and other features, the new Model S and Model X are much better vehicles than their predecessors.
With Tesla’s goal of standardizing manufacturing processes, many of these hardware upgrades will be coming to the Model 3 and Model Y in the coming months, giving existing owners another reason to upgrade. This puts more electric vehicles on the used vehicle market, allowing many more to access electric vehicles in the coming years.
In Australia, New Zealand and the UK, many current order holders of the updated Tesla Model S and Model X have been waiting more than 18 months for an update on their orders or a release date. We’d love to see the latest Model S and Model X land on our shores before Christmas.
Riz is the founder of Melbourne-based carloop, specializing in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transportation infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, especially electric vehicles, and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
