Tesla announced at X that it is working on a new way to keep the cameras clean on the Cybertruck.
Hopefully it will make its way into other Tesla vehicles because it is a common problem with the performance of its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
When driving using Tesla's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) driver assistance features, you will often receive a warning that the system may not be working properly because “one or more cameras are blocked” due to dirt or snow from the road and lenses.
In the Cybertruck, that's even a problem because the rear camera is the only way to look behind the car when the tonneau cover is open.
It has led some owners to complain that they have to remember to clean the truck's rear camera almost every time they use it, especially in the winter.
Tesla responded to some of those comments with its 'Tesla AI' account on X. One owner specifically asked if Tesla is planning a solution when it comes to “unsupervised self-driving” because it can't expect a human to always know. Clean cameras and Tesla responded:
At worst, a comprehensive cleaning solution is being worked on.
Tesla did not elaborate on the solution or when it would be available.
Back in 2019, we reported on Tesla applying for a patent on technology to “use laser beams to automatically clean debris from its vehicles.” It considered that it could be used to clean cameras, but nothing came of the patent filing.
Tesla says it plans to achieve unsupervised self-driving capability in California and Texas around Q2 2025, but recent data makes this sound highly unlikely, to say the least.
Electrek's Take
I doubt it will be lasers, or it would be good, but there is undoubtedly a need for a solution.
In my experience with FSD in the Quebec winter, I get warnings of cameras being banned on literally every other drive.
Tesla already uses heaters, which help others, but apart from forward-facing cameras, which benefit from windshield wipers, there is a need for more.
What's interesting here is that Tesla admits that for unsupervised self-driving, which was part of the question he answered, he needs to add more hardware to make it work.
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