Tesla released its high fidelity park assist feature during its 2023 holiday update
YouTube/AI DRIVR
A new video on YouTube (posted below) provides an in-depth look at Tesla's High Fidelity Park Assist. Viewers can get a good look at the system’s ability to accurately visualize and interact with the car's surroundings for improved parking assistance but also understand its weaknesses.
Urban traffic and limited parking spaces have made parking challenging, often leading to congestion and increased risk of accidents. Tesla's High Fidelity Park Assist is not just about making parking easier; it's about transforming it. Tesla is just cameras to create a 3D visualization of the car’s surroundings, enabling precision parking like never before.
Breakthrough Features of Tesla's Park Assist
AI DRIVR notes the visual accuracy and the clear view of the surroundings. It vividly shows barriers, crosswalks, parking spots and more. It goes beyond objects that FSD could identify, and even for objects that can’t be identified, they are still displayed on screen in 3D. AI DRIVR also does a great job of pointing out some weaknesses in the current system and determining its accuracy.
Upcoming Improvements
As we know, Tesla is constantly improving, but the first version of this system shows where the following upgrades may further advance the technology. Future versions are expected to offer even more precision and more accurate visual representations. The video presenter suggests the system might even cover larger areas and shift away from gray tones by overlaying images on the 3D objects.
The feature is currently limited to vehicles without ultrasonic sensors (USS), but Tesla’s director of Autopilot already said that the feature will also come to vehicles with USS. However, it’s not clear whether the feature will be limited to vehicles equipped with Ryzen-powered infotainment systems (MCU 3).
Tesla’s improved Park Assist is also currently limited to lower speeds (below about 3 mph), however, this could be expanded as well. One day FSD visualizations could be completely based on this technology instead of relying on pre-made 3D models.
Accuracy and Limitations
The technology accurately renders objects like cones and curbs, but the presenter notes that the system's accuracy diminishes with proximity to objects. Another area for improvement will be hardware and, obviously, the addition of a front bumper camera. Cars with front bumper cameras will benefit far more from this technology. However, there are no future retrofits, and only the newest production models are equipped with front cameras, such as the Cybertruck. The video notes that the system needs to improve in showing objects directly in front of the car.
Interestingly, the video shows the system performs much better backing into places. It’s likely due to that wide-angle camera. If you or your teenagers have gone through any driver’s training lately, you probably know that backing into spaces is recommended. It allows for a much safer departure from the space, and the new High Fidelity System is set up very well for that.
The High Fidelity Park Assist system represents a significant improvement in Tesla’s Park Assist. These vehicles were previously limited to Park Assist with questionable accuracy. Its ability to now accurately visualize surroundings in real-time offers a safer and more efficient parking experience. The system's ongoing development promises continual improvements, potentially leading to more precise and reliable parking assistance than currently available with ultrasonic sensors. This technology sets a new standard in the evolution of Tesla’s Park Assist.
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Today, as part of a broader change of tariff rates on Chinese goods, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he’ll raise tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China, increasing the rate from 25% to 100%, effective this year.
This increase won’t just impact the import of vehicles, but also the rate for lithium-ion batteries produced in China, which will be moving from 7.5% to 25%.
Impact on Competition
The immediate impact of this new regulation is significant for Chinese manufacturers, who have been regarded as Tesla’s largest and greatest competition. Given the tariff hike, this means that new Chinese manufacturers, such as Nio, XPeng, or BYD, will either need to set up production in North America, or be subject to the increased import tariff.
Nio’s vehicles cost between $40,000 USD to $70,000 USD in China based on today’s conversion rates, and with an import tariff of 100%, an imported vehicle’s price would be doubled to $80,000 USD to $140,000 USD, not including other fees. Chinese manufacturers will have to closely weigh the advantages and disadvantages of opening up the North American market, with challenges including vehicle homologation, new tariffs, and a difficult EV market.
Tesla and Chinese Tariffs
Elon Musk recently visited China, engaging with officials to build a foundation for what is currently the world’s largest electric vehicle market. With the potential import of Chinese EVs becoming restricted to the United States, this places Tesla in an advantageous position over its Chinese competitors who have yet to establish their brands in North America.
On the other hand, this could also impact Tesla, as they import Chinese batteries for usage in some vehicles in the United States.
Tesla does not import Gigafactory Shanghai vehicles to the US, but has been increasing North American battery production lately, with expansions in Lathrop, California and a new facility in Sparks, Nevada.
Canadian Tariffs
In Canada, the Model 3 and Model Y are currently being imported from Gigafactory Shanghai. Given Canada’s close following of US foreign policy, this could impact either the prices of Tesla vehicles in Canada or have Tesla shipping vehicles from Fremont and Texas to the United States once again, should Canada also adopt a similar tariff policy.
Tesla is set to introduce restricted driver profiles in an upcoming update, aiming to improve safety for teenage drivers. Tesla hacker @greentheonly, also known as Green, recently decompiled the 2024.14.3 update, revealing the change.
Restricted Driver Profiles
Over the years, many people have asked Tesla to bring in restricted driver profiles, similar to Tesla’s currently existing Valet Mode. Valet Mode already serves to restrict the car’s maximum speed, reduces acceleration, and disables the use of Autopilot and FSD. The new restricted profiles will let you apply certain restrictions to driver profiles without the full-fledged restrictions of Valet Mode which also limits HomeLink, GPS history and more.
What Restricted Profiles Could Do
From Green’s post on X, restricted driving profiles will display “training wheels” next to the profile, indicating their usage for new drivers. The ability to add a maximum speed and enforced chill mode are expected to be part of the feature package.
Other restrictions that could also be implemented could include disabling the use of Autopilot and FSD, or perhaps requiring certain features to remain disabled or enabled, like disabling “Joe Mode”, frunk or glove-box access, summon, and locking Sentry Mode to active.
Given how easy it is to swap profiles on a Tesla, Tesla would need to prevent a user from switching from a restricted profile to a regular profile. Tesla could do this in a variety of ways, such as tying driver profiles to a key card or mobile device and requiring a PIN code to exit the restricted profile, much in the same way they do it in Valet Mode.
Enhanced Safety Implementations
Additional safety measures could include alerts that notify parents or guardians when the vehicle reaches its destination or exceeds set speed limits. Given that a Tesla can automatically call emergency services in a crash, this could be an excellent feature for ensuring the safety and security of young drivers on their own for the first time.
Release Date
Elon Musk has previously mentioned that FSD V12.4 is being rolled out sometime shortly, and given that Green has found this 2024.14.3, it could be coming very soon. The latest Tesla update being rolled out now is 2024.14.6.
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The official Tesla app only notifies you if your car is broken into. By installing Sentry Pro on your phone, you will be notified for all Sentry Mode events. Stay connected and avoid potential surprises by receiving notifications. Stop constantly checking the cameras to ensure safety. Check only when necessary, save battery and get peace of mind. Get a 7 day free trial here!
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