This is good news, but the broader picture is something I find frustrating and indicative of Tesla’s mistakes with Autopilot and “Full Self Driving” (Beta) in recent years. With coming upgrades, Tesla vehicles are going to get washers on front cameras. This is necessary if Tesla ever hopes to have more than ADAS (i.e., FSD). But why did it take so long to figure out these are needed? CleanTechnica readers have been saying for several years that these are needed. One drive with Autopilot or FSD (Beta) in rainy weather will tell you the same. It’s just a bit mind blowing to me that it has taken Tesla so long to add washers — and, actually, they’re not even added yet. The latest software code just indicates they are coming, as noticed by white-hat hacker @greentheonly. (Though, there’s one big asterisk to consider.*)
2023.44.1 brings us:
– front camera is getting a washer too and here’s the button to activate it
– new js player for media: shaka player
– media playback added 1.25x 1.5x and 2x speeds (for apple podcasts?) pic.twitter.com/9D9KC3PIoZ— green (@greentheonly) November 25, 2023
There are definitely other potential hardware limitations with Tesla vehicles when it comes to FSD, but discussions about those things have gone in circles for about a decade. It’s just good to see that Tesla is finally addressing a clear limitation and problem.
Let’s roll through some of the other coming updates @greentheonly spotted in the latest Tesla code. These include:
- 1.25x, 1.5x, and 2x media playback options (@greentheonly supposes this may be for Apple podcasts)
- “new js player for media: shaka player”
- “Seatbelt reminders are getting a new IIHS mode that makes them more frequent and higher pitched
- “New feature — cabin camera could now be used to enable/disable HOV lane use — requires additional cabin camera permission (and also Tesla should enable the feature for the car before it’s seen)”
- MPP (most probable path) navigation mode
- New 16V and 48V low-voltage batteries.
*Regarding that one big asterisk. The code seems to indicate this washer is for the camera in the front fascia, which people point out isn’t probably that useful for FSD. It may just be key for parking and off-roading, according to some comments. We’ll see when these features come to consumer cars. My hope is that several core cameras will get these washers.
I agree with the following response from Larckening:
All cameras should be washable
— Larckening (@LarckeningXuruo) November 25, 2023
