Tesla revealed the Mannequin 3 Highland refresh final week with much more options than we anticipated, however one oft-requested function was lacking. However now, Tesla has up to date the Mannequin 3 Proprietor’s Guide within the EU, which exhibits {that a} real blind spot indicator is included with the refresh.
Blind spot indicators have change into an ordinary function on many vehicles in recent times, giving a visible indication to drivers whether or not one other car occurs to be alongside them in a difficult-to-see location when altering lanes.
However Tesla to this point has not had this function. Till now, it has relied on its Autopilot digicam system and its visualization options to supply drivers with extra data on what may be of their blind spots.
These options convey up a view of the aspect digicam every time a driver makes use of the flip sign, permitting the motive force to see what’s there, and exhibits a visualization of the world across the automotive and the opposite autos in that space.
![model 3 blind spot camera visualization](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/Screenshot-2023-09-07-at-11.31.50-AM.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1024)
However the challenge right here is that this implies drivers have to look down and to the aspect on the car’s middle display as a substitute of searching the home windows/mirrors at what’s beside them when making a driving maneuver. It’s not too unhealthy, but it surely’s not best, and at this level, many drivers are accustomed to having indicator lights close to the A-pillar or on the aspect mirrors.
The scenario is a bit of completely different on Mannequin S and X, the place these visualizations are supplied within the driver’s instrument cluster, an extra display in entrance of the motive force, which the Mannequin 3 doesn’t have. It is a little simpler for drivers to see than the middle display, but it surely’s nonetheless not the best scenario when a driver is trying to their left or proper to vary lanes.
So lastly, within the new Mannequin 3 Highland refresh, we’re getting precise blind spot indicators contained in the speaker grille subsequent to the A-pillar. The European Mannequin 3 proprietor’s handbook exhibits what it can appear to be, and we’ve additionally seen it working for a brief second in a YouTube evaluate of the automotive.
![](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/Screenshot-2023-09-07-at-11.01.41-AM.jpg?ssl=1)
![](https://i1.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/09/Screenshot-2023-09-07-at-12.00.48-PM.jpg?ssl=1)
Nevertheless, the Proprietor’s Guide does particularly say driver door. And we’ve solely seen the LED mild on that aspect, not on the passenger aspect. So this blind spot indicator may solely be on the motive force’s aspect of the car, not the passenger aspect, which appears odd. Driver aspect blind spots are extra pronounced as a result of it’s more durable to crane your neck round in that path, but when it’s low-cost and easy sufficient so as to add the indicator to at least one aspect, why not the opposite aspect too?
Now we have no indication that Tesla has added any new sensors to the car, so it appears probably that it’s utilizing the automotive’s autopilot cameras to detect vehicles within the blind spot, then lighting up the sunshine if it detects one there once you’re making an attempt to vary lanes.
To this point, that is the one Tesla to have a blind spot indicator. We don’t know if this function will come to different vehicles any time quickly, if it can solely come to different fashions as half of a big refresh, or if Tesla solely plans to place it on sure autos. (Ror instance, maybe it thinks the motive force instrument cluster on the S/X will likely be sufficient.)
Electrek’s Take
Tesla has been recognized for “going its personal approach” by way of commonplace options for fairly a while, normally making an attempt to leverage the various Autopilot cameras across the car with the intention to exchange sensors or indicators that come commonplace on different vehicles.
We’ve seen a number of examples of this, such because the “deep neural web” camera-based rain sensors (which don’t work nice – mine triggered from seeing Styrofoam bits on the freeway as soon as), the vision-based park help (which additionally doesn’t work nice), and the elimination of radar from its autopilot {hardware} (which is now going again in).
So it’s a little bit of a shock to see Tesla relent and transfer towards an ordinary detection function that the majority different vehicles have, on condition that it has largely been shifting away from such in recent times.
I personally assume that the blind spot cameras + visualization have been fairly good and simple to make use of, so it’s fascinating for Tesla to relent on this function slightly than another ones which might be a transparent downgrade from industry-standard sensors. And unusual if it’s solely on one aspect, however we’ll have to attend for affirmation of that.
For extra on the Mannequin 3 Highland, take a look at our nearer take a look at the Mannequin 3 Highland from the IAA in Munich on this YouTube video under, although we didn’t get to check out the blind spot indicator ourselves on the present ground.
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