Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been vocal about his opinions on LiDAR technology and why his company chooses to rely solely on cameras for its autonomous driving technology. In a recent discussion, Musk highlighted the drawbacks of using LiDAR and radar in conjunction with cameras, emphasizing that sensor ambiguity can actually increase safety risks rather than decrease them. He pointed out that this is why companies like Waymo struggle to operate their vehicles on highways.
Tesla made the decision to completely remove radar from its vehicles a few years ago, opting for a camera-only approach that it refers to as “Tesla Vision.” Musk has always been a strong advocate for this strategy and believes that cameras are the superior choice for autonomous driving technology. He reiterated this stance by stating that Tesla turned off radars in its vehicles to enhance safety, emphasizing that cameras are the way forward.
In a separate discussion, Musk specifically mentioned Waymo and its vehicles’ difficulties in adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, and dust storms. He pointed out that LiDAR technology does not perform well in these conditions due to reflection scatter, which is why Waymo vehicles struggle to operate in heavy precipitation. Musk acknowledged that LiDAR has its strengths and weaknesses, citing his oversight of the development of LiDAR for the SpaceX Dragon docking with the Space Station.
Unlike most companies in the autonomous driving space, Tesla continues to rely solely on cameras for its self-driving programs, while companies like Waymo, Motional, Aurora, and Zoox utilize LiDAR technology. Musk even mentioned that Tesla had developed a high-resolution radar for Model S and Model X, but it could not compare to cameras, so it was turned off.
Overall, Musk’s firm belief in the superiority of camera technology for autonomous driving sets Tesla apart from its competitors in the industry. Despite the prevalence of LiDAR technology among other companies, Tesla remains committed to its camera-only approach, confident in its ability to deliver safe and efficient autonomous driving capabilities.