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Tesla doubles HW3 side cameras' viewing range for oncoming traffic in FSD 11.4.2

The B-billar camera range has widened dramatically (image: Chuck Cook/YT)
The B-billar camera range has widened dramatically (image: Chuck Cook/YT)
The pillar cameras on the side of Tesla cars can now reach up to 600-feet viewing range to detect approaching vehicles earlier and allow the driver-assist software to react better. The side camera range improvement has been implemented in the newest Full Self-Driving Beta software update by Tesla.

The new FSD Beta 11.4.2 version that is rolling out to Tesla employees and customers alike is quite the update as it introduces awaited new features, irons out many bugs, and apparently nearly doubles the viewing range of the pillar cameras. Tested by Chuck Cook, the B-pillar cameras can now catch the first glimpse of oncoming traffic as far out as 623ft (190m), compared to the current 262ft (80m) Tesla-cited range.

The upper limit has now been raised to 400-600ft, depending on the side and conditions, essentially doubling the previous viewing range and allowing the FSD software to react earlier and in a more precise manner. Even though that only leaves Tesla's driver-assist system 7-8 seconds to adjust if the vehicles approaching are traveling with 50-60 MPH speed, that is still preferable to halving the time for reaction with the previous camera input.

Granted, the human eye can detect moving vehicles much earlier than Tesla's B-pillar cameras on the Hardware 3 kit, and leaves the driver half a minute or more for reaction.

It would therefore be interesting to test how the new Tesla Model Y upgrades coming with Hardware 4.0 from the factory would compare in terms of viewing range. After all, HW4 comes with more and higher resolution cameras by Samsung, including extra ones on the sides that should allow for some faster and more precise FSD reactions.

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Source(s)

Chuck Cook (YouTube)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 05 > Tesla doubles HW3 side cameras' viewing range for oncoming traffic in FSD 11.4.2
Daniel Zlatev, 2023-05-29 (Update: 2023-05-29)