LetsGoFast
Active Member
Now, speaking of limitations - in my mind there are 3 categories of limitations:
- Type I: things that can be fixed by software. (e.g. stall parking, reading red lights and stop signs, not steering towards exits)
- Type II: things that can be fixed with a reasonably-priced hardware retrofit. (e.g. ??? Did they actually build any upgradability into this car at all?)
- Type III: things that can only be fixed by ordering a new car. (e.g. Full Autonomous Driving™, of course, but anything more specific? like handling roundabouts?)
I don't believe there is a Type II category. The new sensors are going to require a new wiring harness and history suggests that this will not be a reasonably-priced upgrade. The problem with identifying Type III items is that there are many things that it will simply do better and more reliably with improved sensor suites. Assuming they stick with Mobile Eye solution, the next generation will likely offer 3 front-facing cameras which will improve steering and reactions to pretty much everything it is doing already -- that is really hard to quantify. It probably means reliable steering without lane markings, better reactions to lane incursions from traffic on side roads, more accurate lane placement for edge cases where the current suite struggles. On the other hand, it seems quite obvious that some of this will improve with the current hardware. Detection of vehicles approaching at high speed from behind you is clearly a Type III case as is probably improved detection of cars surrounding you (probably improving the range of the ultrasonic sensor array).