This information comes from Kevin Smith who tweetted the respective software update of his Tesla Model Y.
— Kevin Smith (@spleck) May 27, 2021 Here’s the automaker’s statement, as can be seen from the photos of the tweet. In the past, Elon Musk had rejected the idea of cabin cameras used for driver monitoring system, and up until now the Tesla cars were relying on steering wheel sensors to determine the presence of a driver behind the wheel. According to his statement back in 2019, the in-car cameras’ aim would be to prevent people from vandalizing cars, when they become a fully autonomous robotaxi fleet.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2019 What’s interesting is that he had also hinted at their potential use to supplement the vehicles’ outside cameras.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2019 Just three days ago, the automaker announced its transition to the Tesla Vision, its camera-based autonomous driving system that replaced radar. So are we to assume to that this was Musk’s plan all along? Now, it’s important to notice that the company is emphasizing the fact that the cabin cameras don’t share data, unless this feature is enabled (as you can see on the first tweet above). This comes as no surprise, given that Tesla’s in-car monitoring system has evoked serious concerns regarding privacy risks. That’s because, unlike other automakers, Tesla is using conventional cameras with video recording, rather than infrared alternatives that work in real-time and don’t store data. It seems unlikely that this has been changed now that the cameras have been turned into a safety feature. Doubts aside, it’s fair to say that this camera update is mostly a good thing. Autopilot misuse has caused too many accidents to be ignored, and if the cabin cameras can actually stop “back seat drivers,” then I can back it up. Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? Then you need the weekly SHIFT newsletter in your life. Click here to sign up.
