The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States provides crash testing and safety evaluations to customers in the country. It’s similar to Euro NCAP, a non-profit organization run by manufacturers and the US government.
When Tesla deleted the front-facing radar from two of its lower-priced models, it raised eyebrows.
Not only did the IIHS have qualms about it, but so did the NHTSA, which is funded by the US government, and Consumer Reports, which is independent. All three companies’ security scores declined, which is terrible news for Tesla.
The IIHS bestows an accolade that every manufacturer wishes for: the “Top Safety Pick +,” which translates to “the safest choice on the market,” and for which extremely high scores in both electronic assistance and passive safety are required.
There are no modifications in passive safety.
According to the IIHS, both the 2021-2022 Model 3 and the 2021-2022 Model Y already match the requirements for the prize. The cameras backed by neural networks received the score “Higher” after performing tests in the simulation of vehicle versus vehicle and vehicle against pedestrian.
Surprisingly, that score is greater than its predecessors, which were equipped with a frontal radar with a 160-meter effective range.
That system remained in the «Advanced» mode. Tesla claimed at the time that the eight cameras allowed for a vision of 250 meters, which was far more than the radar of the time.
There’s more, Artificial vision cameras, according to the firm, can capture more information about the world surrounding the car due to improved image processing capabilities. The cameras had only improved in a technical detail when it came to capturing luminance and hues.
This system was dubbed “Pure Vision” by Tesla and went into production at the same time as the beta 9.0 system, which was dubbed “Full Self-Driving” or FSD. It is still an SAE Level 2 Driver Assistance system, not an autonomous system. As a result, even if the driver takes his hands off the wheel, he must stay aware of the road.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, said the company’s efforts were focused on enhancing safety. Considering that the radar was more of a hindrance than an aid at the time. Indeed, with frontal radar, the phenomena of “phantom braking” may occur, in which something that isn’t an impediment, such as a bridge across a highway, is seen as one.
According to the IIHS rating methodology, the TSP + may be obtained with both a score of «Advanced» What “Higher” with regards to automated braking systems and a minimum of “Good” in passive safety testing.
In short, the IIHS agrees with the manufacturer that the 2021 and 2021-2022 Model 3 / Y versions are as safe for practical purposes. NHTSA continues to refuse, awarding the highest safety rating to models released on or before April 27, 2021, which are labeled “Early Release.”
There is still a technological divide between manufacturers that feel that different sensors, including as radar and LiDAR, must sense the vehicle’s outside, and Tesla, which does not believe this is required. The versions in Discord feature “just” eight 360-degree TV cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
Tesla prefers to use the “software” advancement as a method to get rid of these sensors. His logic is simple: human drivers do not have radar or LiDAR, we detect more than 90% of information just via our eyes, and there is no need for more with enough cameras and real-time processing capability.
Keyword: Tesla Receives IIHS Approval for Model 3