AP 2, HUD = Bye Bye Side View Mirrors?

[erthquake]

I just saw FF's latest teaser photo showing the lack of side view mirrors, and it got me thinking. We know that Tesla has been hiring video game developers. A heads up display seems to be imminent. AP 2.0 hardware has cameras and sensors all over the place.

Why should I have to take my eyes off the road and turn my head to look in a mirror to see who's on the side of me? All that information can be put right in front of me with a well-designed HUD. Arguably, a HUD can alert a driver about cars moving rapidly into an adjacent lane from behind better than checking mirrors and blindspots.

I'm now thinking AP 2 is the first step toward getting rid of the side view mirrors and improving aerodynamics. Once they have refined the HUD enough, they can then say the mirrors are superfluous and do away with them.

Thoughts?

 

[MP3Mike]

Won't happen until the laws requiring side-view mirrors are updated/removed. (Tesla has wanted to do this from early on.)

 

[ZBB]

Unfortunately, Tesla has to comply the NHTSA regulations in the US, which require side mirrors... Other countries have similar regulations...

 

[Saghost]

Tesla's wanted to get rid of the mirrors for years - and any AP2 car has cameras perfectly suited to replace mirrors (though they aren't color cameras.)

But as a couple folks have said, they have to wait for NHTSA to release new rules - initially expected a couple years ago, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[erthquake]

Won't happen until the laws requiring side-view mirrors are updated/removed. (Tesla has wanted to do this from early on.)

Right. I'm hoping the HUD performance, backed by the tons of data collected by Tesla, will convince the NHTSA to move forward.

 

[ecarfan]

We know that Tesla has been hiring video game developers. A heads up display seems to be imminent.

Pure speculation based on nothing more than Elon tweeting once that the Model 3 driving controls will be like a "spaceship".

If there is no HUD at the final Model 3 reveal, I expect a lot of complaining.

And it seems almost certain that every Tesla built in 2017 will be required by law to have side mirrors.

 

[erthquake]

Pure speculation based on nothing more than Elon tweeting once that the Model 3 driving controls will be like a "spaceship".

If there is no HUD at the final Model 3 reveal, I expect a lot of complaining.

And it seems almost certain that every Tesla built in 2017 will be required by law to have side mirrors.

Granted, this is all speculation. Though I think the Tesla glass developments also suggest a HUD is coming. But I didn't mean to imply that the mirrors are going away as soon as the HUD appears, only that HUD offers a proving ground to demonstrate the mirrors are no longer needed. I'd guess we're at 2-5 years away from the mirrors going away from a regulation standpoint.

 

[Dynastar]

I'd guess we're at 2-5 years away from the mirrors going away from a regulation standpoint.

In other words, we could have self-driving cars that are still required to have side-view mirrors.

 

[Gregkeys]

The Nvidia px2 presentation at CES mentioned that full automation basically eliminates the need for them

 

[Altes]

Maybe tesla could "leak" access to the ap2 cameras and someone could delelop retrofit kit to delete side mirrors . I'm down for developing the hardware bits if this happens!!

 

[Algbc]

way back in 2012 tesla did that with model X

but I guess NHTSA did not approve. I wish tesla kept the touch screen control for steering wheel tho.