Tesla has been working on a successor to Hardware 3.0, the computer that powers the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features in its vehicles, for over a couple of years now.
Documents detailing what appears to be Tesla’s Hardware 4.0 surfaced online earlier this week, as shared by Chris Zheng (@ChrisZheng001)on Twitter.
According to these documents, Tesla will be reportedly be reducing the number of front cameras on Hardware 4.0-equipped vehicles from three to two. This is made possible by the higher pixel density and field of view (FOV) of the new AP4 cameras Tesla will be using.
The Autopilot HW 4.0 front camera will be reduced to two Cz of the significant increase in both pixel density and field of view. pic.twitter.com/vYXVYZzSln
— Chris Zheng (@ChrisZheng001) January 13, 2023
Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) are currently equipped with three 1.2-megapixel cameras on the front. With Hardware 4.0, Tesla will reportedly use two 5-megapixel AP4 cameras instead, as per the documents.
The switch will not only reduce the total number of components but should also lead to an improvement in Tesla Vision, the company’s alternative to radar and ultrasonic sensors for assisted driving applications.
In addition, the leaked documents also claim a new fan will be added for the inward-facing cabin camera on the front, which will also use an AP4 sensor in the next iteration.
Back in 2021, Tesla was in talks with Samsung to fabricate next-generation chips for Hardware 4.0. Now that there’s chatter about it once again, Tesla may be close to launching its next-generation FSD hardware.
