Matrix headlights on Model 3 Performance in UK ?

[greg249]

Are the Model 3 cars coming to the UK still being built with matrix headlights?

I saw this:

2022 Q2 production Model 3 missing matrix headlights?

Thought I would break this out into its own thread instead of buried in the LR Waiting Room since this is a pretty big change and applies to other trims too not just LR. Maybe we can gather more data points to pin down the date/VIN range for the change and see if anyone has any more info (eg...

teslamotorsclub.com

And wondered if this applied to the cars getting sent to the UK. Particularly the Model 3 performance.

Thanks

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Reading the other post, they look like US built cars which may account for the production problem. Until M3P start arriving we won’t really know if China have the same issue.

I’ve had cars with both types and can’t say I’ve noticed much difference when driving. While the matrix headlights might do something more in the future, that could easily be many years away so I wouldn’t personally worry too much.

 

[Durzel]

Probably won't be, but no one knows for sure.

China is where all of the parts get made, logically one would assume the logistics of shipping parts from CN to US means there is less availability over there, and therefore shortages.

Also as @GeorgeSymonds said - I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. The matrix headlights have been dumb for at least a year and there's every chance that won't measurably change any time soon.

 

[GRiLLA]

How would anyone know?

On one hand that all relates to cars built recently in the US, we get our cars from China so stocks of components will be different, but also as the matrix lights don't actually do anything different to the existing lights, and Tesla don't define them either way on the website they could be changed.

I guess if some Model 3s appear next month we may find out, or at least I will find out when my new LR arrives.

 

[Mrklaw]

Reading the other post, they look like US built cars which may account for the production problem. Until M3P start arriving we won’t really know if China have the same issue.

I’ve had cars with both types and can’t say I’ve noticed much difference when driving. While the matrix headlights might do something more in the future, that could easily be many years away so I wouldn’t personally worry too much.

looking at their specs, they seem to emphasis type compliance - build once, deploy worldwide and adapt headlight patterns accordingly. not sure they even do that, but I wouldn't hold my breath for 'active' matrix which is what we all associate with that word - blocking out pixels to protect traffic ahead while maintaining full beams

 

[delta0]

Seems like a US thing not seen anything like that on recent MIC cars.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

looking at their specs, they seem to emphasis type compliance - build once, deploy worldwide and adapt headlight patterns accordingly. not sure they even do that, but I wouldn't hold my breath for 'active' matrix which is what we all associate with that word - blocking out pixels to protect traffic ahead while maintaining full beams

I agree. The US as a country have only just accepted active matrix as a thing, and given Tesla development is driven by the US market they'd only start looking at it now. My hunch is they'll come when the latest, greatest autopilot software is accurately determining the location of all surrounding vehicles such that it knows what to blank while on full beam. Could be great when it's working, but like all things Tesla, when there is a "when" in the sentence you learn not to hold your breath.

 

[spdpsba]

I agree. The US as a country have only just accepted active matrix as a thing, and given Tesla development is driven by the US market they'd only start looking at it now.

It is a well known fact that Tesla looked into this and started building hardware components with both Model 3/S since 2021. Elon himslef acknowledged this in his tweets. It is the federal law that stopped Tesla from not able to activate adaptive headlights. As you’ve rightly mentioned that the law has chaged now, Tesla will upgrade the software and I am sure there will be lots of people unhappy with the ‘adaptive’ element of the headlights.

The law if anyone is interested:
Headlights that have changing beam patterns aren’t allowed to be used for night driving in the US — unlike Europe. The challenge the article referred to is a 1967 US regulation that made it illegal for auto manufacturers to create headlights in which both low and high beams operate at the same time.

Also known as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, the code serves to reduce traffic accidents. The code is based on old lighting technology and doesn’t necessarily apply to today’s technological innovations, such as adaptive driving beam lights. Headlights involve a self-certification process, meaning that it’s up to each auto manufacturer to keep their lights in line.

Due to this code, US drivers don’t have access to ADB headlights that combat the need to turn off high beams with oncoming traffic. For this to happen, the lights cast a shadow so oncoming drivers can still see while maintaining the high beam brightness needed.

My hunch is they'll come when the latest, greatest autopilot software is accurately determining the location of all surrounding vehicles such that it knows what to blank while on full beam. Could be great when it's working, but like all things Tesla, when there is a "when" in the sentence you learn not to hold your breath.

This is really unnecessary and not in any way related to the question and we all know your views regarding autopilot.

 

[Durzel]

Why has Tesla done absolutely nothing with this in Europe? MIC cars have had matrix headlights since March last year, yet in that time the only way you'd really know is the light show gimmick.

Perhaps Tesla has been sat on this functionailty for all that time, waiting until it became legal in the States to announce and deploy it, but I'm sceptical. I think the reality is that BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc are years ahead of Tesla in this area, and Tesla basically aren't that interested in this problem domain. One could argue if people are buying their cars hand over fist anyway, why should they care about this or anything else that isn't impacting their bottom line?

WIth respect to everyone who has a car with "matrix capable headlights", expecting the company that can't (or won't) even get auto headlights working as well as cars a decade older, to deliver anything approaching the sort of tech you get in the aforementioned German marque cars now is expecting a small miracle. My car can't even see distant rear lights with the array of cameras it has, so the notion of intellligence that blanks out LEDs to stop blinding oncoming cars whilst maximising light feels years away for Tesla, to be brutally honest.

The only way I think they might steal a march is if they licensed someone else's technology, but - again - I'd point you at the "rain sensor" done badly with cameras where a $5 Bosch part works flawlessly. Tesla does its own thing (often badly) or it doesn't do it at all.

 

[Mrklaw]

if they had the software but didn't enable it just because one country can't use it, then their software delivery systems aren't nearly as good as we assumed they were.

More likely answer is they've put hardware in based on what might be possible in the future, but its simply not ready yet. Bit like FSD

 

[spdpsba]

Why has Tesla done absolutely nothing with this in Europe? MIC cars have had matrix headlights since March last year, yet in that time the only way you'd really know is the light show gimmick.

Perhaps Tesla has been sat on this functionailty for all that time, waiting until it became legal in the States to announce and deploy it, but I'm sceptical. I think the reality is that BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc are years ahead of Tesla in this area, and Tesla basically aren't that interested in this problem domain. One could argue if people are buying their cars hand over fist anyway, why should they care about this or anything else that isn't impacting their bottom line?

WIth respect to everyone who has a car with "matrix capable headlights", expecting the company that can't (or won't) even get auto headlights working as well as cars a decade older, to deliver anything approaching the sort of tech you get in the aforementioned German marque cars now is expecting a small miracle. My car can't even see distant rear lights with the array of cameras it has, so the notion of intellligence that blanks out LEDs to stop blinding oncoming cars whilst maximising light feels years away for Tesla, to be brutally honest.

The only way I think they might steal a march is if they licensed someone else's technology, but - again - I'd point you at the "rain sensor" done badly with cameras where a $5 Bosch part works flawlessly. Tesla does its own thing (often badly) or it doesn't do it at all.

VM group in all it’s glory!

 

[Durzel]

VM group in all it’s glory!

I have no idea what that means.

 

[GRiLLA]

I would guess that Matrix headlights are not essential to self-driving, so Tesla aren't interested in a distraction from the mission. They fit them as what they call their 'global' headlight, the same unit used in every country with only software changes to the beam pattern, manufacturing efficiency.

 

[DrJFoster]

Mention FSD and drawn out timescales and it shakes out the usual suspects. PITA will be along in a minute and the two wise people will tell everyone who disagrees with them that they're in the minority.

It actually made a lot of sense what was said, once FSD has a solid map of everything around the car in real time, then it would be relatively trivial to know what to illuminate and what not to. It would make little sense developing a matrix headlight function that was parallel to this for a number of reasons. The actual act of the headlights illuminating something could cause spurious reflections and FSD would want to be able to turn the individual lights off themselves. It would also lead to consistency, ie it would be crazy for the headlights to not realise they could be on full beam in an area when FSD had the knowledge they could, or the other way around with an oncoming car illuminated/blinded.

If you work from that basis then unfortunately Tesla have the surrounding map in a countries they've hitherto not been allowed to do fancy headlights, and they've not had it where they could.

 

[Barabing]

Who needs proper active matrix lights when we have TikTok and Disney+

 

[kevincredible]

I wonder if there are any MIC M3P with the new rear light cluster….that’s with theb2 reverse lights and the C shaped brake lights.

 

[Durzel]

No M3Ps have come over yet. ETA May - August I think?

 

[kevincredible]

No M3Ps have come over yet. ETA May - August I think?

Just wondered for the ones delivered in March

 

[Zilla91]

My March M3P has the new rear lights