Tesla has ditched radar for its Model 3 and Model Y cars in Australia and New Zealand, transitioning to Tesla Vision-based Autopilot in both regions (via @tesla_adri).
The electric carmaker launched Model Y sales in Australia and New Zealand earlier this week following months of anticipation.
Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built for Australia or New Zealand in or after June 2022 will no longer include radar. These units will rely entirely on the camera-based Tesla Vision system for Autopilot, active safety features, and more.
The move was reflected in an update to the company’s Tesla Vision support page for Australia.
Tesla Vision uses “camera vision and neural net processing to deliver Autopilot, Full-Self Driving and certain active safety features,” explains Tesla.
Vehicles with Tesla Vision provide the same suite of Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, and active safety features as those equipped with radar — they just use cameras to do so instead of radar.
In fact, Tesla boasts equal (or better) efficacy for Tesla Vision-based safety features in its cars as compared to radar systems. The company does note that the Autosteer feature is currently limited to a maximum speed of 140 km/h (85 mph) on Tesla Vision-powered cars.
Tesla switched the Model 3 and Model Y over to Tesla Vision in North America back in May 2021. The automaker made the same change for the European market in March.
