Tesla reportedly (re-)adding radar components for driver assists

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It seems electric carmaker Tesla is in the throes of re-evaluating some of its hardware decisions as relates to the so-called ‘Full Self-Driving’ suite of driver aids, a system which does offer some driving helpers but is not actually fully and completely self-driving. According to a report by industry outlet Electrek, Tesla has apparently informed the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of its intent to begin equipping some of its cars with a new radar product next month.

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Why is this notable? Two reasons. First, spox at Tesla (read: some of Elon’s tweets) have been asserting for ages it can reach full autonomy with cameras and ‘machine learning’ instead of relying on traditional tools like lidar and radar in addition to cams. This recent filing with the FCC walks back some of that bravado.

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Secondly, the company is said to have – as of May last year – stopped using some radar sensors on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built in North America. Read what Musk had to say about radar versus vision-based systems at the time.

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Reading through the FCC filing posted to Twitter (below) by an industry watcher, it’s tough to tell which models will be on the receiving end of these new radar sensors, though the same user goes on to speculate these gubbins will be separate and different from a ‘millimeter wave device’ already approved by the government agency.

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Talking heads are anticipating a redesign of some sort for the Model 3, and these applications may be part of that process. Tesla timelines are notoriously elastic, of course, so it is nigh impossible to predict when or if that’ll come to fruition. Between noise about the Semi, the MIA Cybertruck, and all the shenanigans at Twitter, Musk has his hands full.

While the company doesn’t release official or exact sales numbers, it is widely accepted the Model 3 and Model Y are two of this country’s best-selling EVs. However, legacy automakers jumping into the pool with both feet – introducing the Ford Mustang Mach-E, VW ID.4, et al – is surely eating away at the Big T’s overall market share.