Most would agree that Tesla currently has the most advanced autonomous driving technology available in cars today. Its limited-release Full Self Driving (FSD) package is capable of performing tasks that no other system – which is currently in the hands of non-employee consumers – can.
However, just as many recognize that Tesla’s autonomous steering systems may be in the lead today, there are also many industry experts who say that Tesla will be overtaken by competitors if they don’t add LiDAR technology to complement the existing system employed.
YouTube channel E For Electric addressed this topic in their latest video and discusses the benefits, as well as Tesla’s (well, actually, Elon’s) reasons why they decided they didn’t need a LiDAR system to reach capacity complete level 5 autonomous steering.
And in cars, it’s (LiDAR) stupid – Elon Musk
E For Electric presenter Alex Guberman points out that one of Elon’s other companies, Space-X, developed its own LiDAR system in-house, and Elon really led the way. Obviously, Musk knows a lot about LiDAR and how it can be useful in the right circumstances.
Of course, fitting a spacecraft is one of the right applications for LiDAR, but Musk believes it is overkill and very expensive for land transport.
Guberman also mentions that the cost of LiDAR systems for cars has declined a lot in recent years, and now costs only about $ 500.00 per vehicle. True, vehicles would likely need additional computing power on board if LiDAR was added.
Still, the prohibitive cost argument against LiDAR seems to be evaporating and most other companies that are developing autonomous driving technology are including LIDAR, not as a replacement, but to complement the camera and radar systems for extra redundancy.
Having consumer confidence in these systems is critical, and I believe that many people are still not convinced that fully autonomous cars will be safe enough to trust completely. Perhaps a good way for Tesla to prove that LiDAR is not needed would be to have a side-by-side test of two Tesla vehicles with one adding LiDAR and subjecting them to a series of tests.
Of course, the LiDAR system would need to be added by a third party to ensure that Tesla is not protecting it, and this can be difficult to integrate into the vehicle without exposing Tesla’s proprietary technology.
So check out the video and tell us what you think. We know that there are probably a lot of hardcore Tesla fans who will more than likely agree with the path the company chose, but think about that before you answer. If adding LIDAR to a system that is already very good doesn’t add much cost and can potentially make it better, shouldn’t it be considered? Especially when almost everyone in the industry believes it is worth adding. Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.