Tesla should offer the dash cam as a freemium feature.

[MXWing]

The dash cam feature offered in v9 is very limited and makes sense to offer for free.

However, I hope Tesla offers a premium package that can be equal or even better than a 3rd party solution like Blackvue.

With funding, they can budget and devote a team to develop and enhance the dashcam functions.

As they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

A director of dashcam development and a team of senior engineers devoted to the product should be able to make a really awesome product. Use all cameras, remote viewings, suppler for robust storage, etc.

I think either $1000 or FSD is a good buy in for Tesla to go all out on this.

If feedback is positive and interest is there we can submit to Tesla for consideration.

 

[privater]

I’d rather them focus on Enhanced Autopilot and Full autonomous driving instead of this gimmicks which you can buy from Amazon for $50.

 

[MXWing]

I’d rather them focus on Enhanced Autopilot and Full autonomous driving instead of this gimmicks which you can buy from Amazon for $50.

Which is exactly why I think Tesla should have a team for dashcam that is funded separately from EAP and FSD ideally.

Getting EAP/FSD together should be independent from the dashcam project.

A serious dashcam is like $500 plus install and associated hassles. Not quite $50.

 

[OPRCE]

$zero should be an option in this poll, as "ALL OUT dash cam functionality" by Tesla on the current 2.5 hardware cannot match Blackvue 4K resolution and colour fidelity, unless the fleet is retrofitted with new cameras.

That seems unlikely, so I simply consider Tesla's dashcam as a convenient free feature to upload footage of Autopilot's flaws [e.g. phantom-braking, Firetruck Super-Destruction mode] which will publicly pressure the company to resolve these horrible safety issues faster than it otherwise would.

 

[Knightshade]

Not sure they need a whole team- and they're already going to enhance the feature for free as Elon explicitly stated.

We've been over this stuff before in previous threads...

They already have the code to make the footage from the camera usable. It's the same camera at 7 of 8 points on the car, so adding more cameras would be pretty trivial too.

They already have code to upload data to the cloud from the EAP system- including video. So again, letting the dashcam do that is trivial (but also the one place it would need to NOT be free- you make the camera cloud storage a subscription because bandwidth and storage costs money)

So the only things they really need any significant new programming for, and even then it's not THAT much, would be:

Access to the footage remotely in the app

Code for battery management if you want to run the cameras when the car is stationary and hasn't been hit at high speeds


that's about it.... and neither should really require a whole team of coders.

720p is plenty of resolution for any realistic use of a dashcam (we went over that too- with someone lamenting you couldn't read license plates more than maybe 50-75 feet away... and others pointing out- why would you need to? If somebody hits you they got a whole lot closer than that- and if they ran after hitting you they were closer than that going the other direction for a while too.

 

[jaguar36]

Dashcam is the lowest of the low on my list of wants from Tesla. Its a neat feature and was cool that they added it, but I don't want them to spend any more time on it when they could be spending it on any of the other things that are already broken, or promised.

In addition the current dashcam implementation is already pushing the capability of the system (at least on MCU1 cars). Pulling another 7 video streams is unlikely to be possible without compromising something else.

 

[ebmcs03]

Where’s the no option?

 

[brobinson]

Not including an "I wouldn't pay" option sort of invalidates a poll like this.

For me, it would entirely depend on what the solution was. I would never pay for the existing function, even if they added all cameras for recording.

For me to pay, it would have to have mobile alerts for triggering events while parked, access to videos from the app, maybe cloud storage, better structure for viewing clips, etc...

 

[Boourns]

All I really want is the rear cam footage to be made available.

 

[SeanM]

Along with a dashcam, there are other 7 cameras on the M3. Tesla should make use of them to the fullest, as they are the only company to offer so many pre-installed cameras on their cars. One of the features all Tesla cars should have is a 306 degree view during parking, this way one can see their surroundings on that huge center screen. I know some might say that auto park & summon features are available but this all around view will benefit too. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Canikony]

$zero should be an option in this poll, as "ALL OUT dash cam functionality" by Tesla on the current 2.5 hardware cannot match Blackvue 4K resolution and colour fidelity, unless the fleet is retrofitted with new cameras.

That seems unlikely, so I simply consider Tesla's dashcam as a convenient free feature to upload footage of Autopilot's flaws [e.g. phantom-braking, Firetruck Super-Destruction mode] which will publicly pressure the company to resolve these horrible safety issues faster than it otherwise would.

The resolution of the Blackvue may be better but it has terrible dynamic range. If you look at the videos comparing the two at night, you can actually read the plates on cars further ahead vs the blackvue where once it is just a car length away or more, it just looks like a white blob.

 

[Knightshade]

One of the features all Tesla cars should have is a 306 degree view during parking, this way one can see their surroundings on that huge center screen. I know some might say that auto park & summon features are available but this all around view will benefit too. Just my 2 cents.

That's physically impossible based on the placement and angle of the cameras.

 

[EVDRVN]

I would pay for a premium feature not a freemium one. That just makes no sense. Regardless there is no market to charge for this as there are lower cost solutions that are superior.


"Tesla should offer the dash cam as a freemium feature."

 

[brkaus]

I think it is completely fair for Tesla to charge for online archival/access through the app. In fact, I would expect it.

 

[MXWing]

Dashcam is the lowest of the low on my list of wants from Tesla. Its a neat feature and was cool that they added it, but I don't want them to spend any more time on it when they could be spending it on any of the other things that are already broken, or promised.

Having a dashcam team and "other things" is not mutually exclusive.

The only thing that stops anyone from anything is money and time.

If money is given to them, they can hire a team that makes the time.

A dashcam team wouldn't be working in the painting or deliveries department.

 

[jaguar36]

Having a dashcam team and "other things" is not mutually exclusive.

The only thing that stops anyone from anything is money and time.

If money is given to them, they can hire a team that makes the time.

A dashcam team wouldn't be working in the painting or deliveries department.

There is not an infinite pool of talent to be hired. In addition that work needs to be managed and integrated by the existing team even if a whole new "dashcam team" were hired.

 

[SageBrush]

Tesla has been marketing their cars since the beginning of over-the-air updates as cars that improve with time, and that marketing message resonates with consumers. I'm not so sure it is a good idea to add small print that says "for a premium."

I understand the argument, but this requires careful consideration by Tesla

 

[Big Dog]

what, no zero amount, in other words, don't care if I have a dash cam so not willing to pay anything?

 

[inspron]

Nickle and dime the customer isn't consistent with their mission. Include fancy features with FSD package or EAP and call it a day.

 

[SigNC]

I already overpaid for EAP, it should be included.