On June 14th, Tesla’s HW4 (Hardware 4) is the company’s latest autonomous driving computer with more camera interfaces, and is considered as another step towards pure visual autonomous driving.
However, a vehicle with HW4 that was dismantled by well-known Tesla hacker greentheonly revealed that there is still a radar in the new car. The Model X, which greentheonly dismantled, still has a radar unit, which should not exist because according to Tesla’s past two years of introduction, HW4 and its long-term plan do not require radar.
Previously reported, Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have always believed that radar is a “crutch.” He said in the first quarter of 2021 earnings call that he believes using a pure visual solution can make cars much safer to drive than ordinary people.
In 2021, Tesla launched the Tesla Vision system, which was initially used in the Model 3 and Model Y, and later in the Model S and Model X. Earlier this year, greentheonly found Phoenix radar in the pictures he obtained of HW4. This new 4D radar will help double the current detection range. In addition, radar and radar heaters were found in the HW4 vehicle code.