Tesla vs LiDAR and the battle of autonomous cars



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Most would agree that Tesla currently has the most advanced autonomous driving technology available in cars today. Its limited-edition Full Self Driving (FSD) package is capable of performing tasks that no other system – currently in the hands of non-employee consumers – can.

However, just as many recognize that Tesla’s autonomous driving systems may lead the way today, many industry experts say Tesla will be outdone by its competition if they do not add LiDAR technology to complement the existing system. used.

LIDAR vs cameras

YouTube channel E For Electric addressed this topic in their latest video and discusses the benefits as well as reasons Tesla (well really Elon) why they decided they didn’t need a LiDAR system to achieve capacity. autonomous driving level 5.

And in cars it’s stupid (LiDAR) friggin – Elon Musk

E For Electric host Alex Guberman points out that one of Elon’s other companies, Space-X, has developed their own LiDAR system in-house, and Elon has actually spearheaded the project. So it’s obvious that Musk knows a lot about LiDAR and how it can be useful under the right circumstances.

Obviously, docking a spaceship is one of the good applications for LiDAR, but Musk thinks it’s overkill and too expensive for ground transportation.

LIDAR vs cameras

Guberman also talks about the fact that the cost of LiDAR systems for cars has dropped significantly in recent years and now costs only around $ 500.00 per vehicle. It is true that vehicles would likely need additional computing power on board if LiDAR were added.

Yet the prohibitive cost argument against LiDAR seems to be evaporating and most other companies developing autonomous driving technology include LIDAR, not as a replacement, but to complement camera and radar systems for additional redundancy. .

Having the consumers’ trust in these systems is paramount, and I think a lot of people are still not convinced that fully autonomous cars will ever be safe enough to be fully trusted. Perhaps a good way for Tesla to prove that LiDAR is not needed would be to run a side-by-side test of two Tesla vehicles, one adding LiDAR, and put them through a series of tests.

Of course, the LiDAR system would have to be added by a third party to ensure Tesla doesn’t sandbag it, and it could prove difficult to fit into the vehicle without exposing Tesla’s proprietary technology.

So watch the video and let us know what you think. We know there are likely a lot of die-hard Tesla fans out there who will more than likely be okay with the path the company has taken, but think about it before you respond. If adding LIDAR to an already very good system doesn’t add much cost and could potentially improve it, shouldn’t it be considered? Especially when almost everyone in the industry thinks it’s worth adding. Let us know your feedback in the comments section below.

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