Tesla Hardware 4 (HW4) is the company’s newest computer that will help the automaker work toward a more successful self-driving effort. It contains more ports for cameras and was supposed to be one of the first steps toward Vision-only self-driving.
However, early dissections of HW4 showed there was room for radar, and a vehicle taken apart by well-known Tesla hacker greentheonly shows radar is still present in the new vehicles.
The vehicle equipped with HW4 that green was able to take apart is a Model X. One of the first pictures was a radar unit from the vehicle, which was evidently supposed to not be present based on what the company had detailed for the HW4 and its long-term plans over the past two years.
Radar was always looked at as a “crutch” by Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, who said during the Q1 2021 Earnings Call:
“When your vision works, it works better than the best human because it’s like having eight cameras, it’s like having eyes in the back of your head, beside your head, and has three eyes of different focal distances looking forward. This is — and processing it at a speed that is superhuman. There’s no question in my mind that with a pure vision solution, we can make a car that is dramatically safer than the average person.”
Tesla rolled out Tesla Vision in the Model 3 and Model Y in 2021 and the Model S and Model X later.
Phoenix Radar was discovered by green during the initial images of HW4 that he acquired earlier this year. This new 4-dimensional radar would help extend current reach by double. Radar and radar heaters were both spotted in HW4 vehicle coding. Phoenix radar is a forward radar that will be installed in at least Model S and Model X HW4 vehicles.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.