Elon Musk is doubling down on his stance in the vision versus lidar debate when it comes to autonomous driving. In his latest remarks, the CEO is not just asserting that utilizing sensors like lidar is unnecessary for achieving self-driving capabilities. Musk is now going a step further by stating that the use of lidar actually poses a danger to self-driving cars.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently shared his perspective on the autonomy race during an interview. Khosrowshahi remains convinced that Waymo’s approach, which involves equipping vehicles with equipment like lidar and radar, is essential for achieving superhuman levels of safety for self-driving cars. He emphasized the importance of including lidar in the sensor suite to enhance safety, even though solid state lidar comes with a price tag of $500. Khosrowshahi acknowledged that while their partners utilize a combination of camera, radar, and lidar, he personally believes that this comprehensive approach is the right solution, but he remains open to being proven wrong.
In response to the Uber CEO’s comments, Elon Musk took to Twitter to counter the argument. Musk asserted that based on Tesla’s experience, lidar and radar actually decrease safety instead of enhancing it. He pointed out that there are instances where sensors like lidar and radar disagree with cameras, leading to sensor ambiguity and ultimately increasing the risk involved. Musk highlighted that Tesla observed an improvement in safety when the company shifted its focus to a vision-only approach. By turning off the radars in Teslas, the company aimed to boost safety, with Musk emphasizing the superiority of cameras in this context.
Musk’s remarks carry weight, especially considering that Tesla successfully launched a dedicated Robotaxi pilot in Austin and the Bay Area using its vision-based autonomous systems. Additionally, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology is rapidly outperforming human drivers, showcasing the effectiveness of a vision-centric approach in autonomous driving.
As the debate between vision and lidar continues to evolve in the autonomous driving industry, Elon Musk’s firm stance on the matter underscores Tesla’s commitment to advancing self-driving technology through innovative and unconventional means. This ongoing discourse between industry leaders highlights the complexities and nuances involved in developing safe and reliable autonomous vehicles.