According to the Tesla blog:
We are excited to announce that, as of today, all Tesla vehicles produced in our factory — including Model 3 — will have the hardware needed for full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver. Eight surround cameras provide 360 degree visibility around the car at up to 250 meters of range. Twelve updated ultrasonic sensors complement this vision, allowing for detection of both hard and soft objects at nearly twice the distance of the prior system. A forward-facing radar with enhanced processing provides additional data about the world on a redundant wavelength, capable of seeing through heavy rain, fog, dust and even the car ahead.
This is an interesting announcement because it lays so much responsibility on the software. No other company working on fully autonomous vehicles (that I’m aware of) thinks it can be done with just cameras, ultrasonics, one forward-facing radar.
Most competitors are relying on lidar plus 360-degree radar.
If Tesla pulls this off, it will be a game-changer.
David Silver 