Tesla introduced Software update enabling their vehicles to scan potholes, broken pavements and other defects, electric has reported. It can then use this to generate “rough roadmap data” and trigger adaptive suspension on supported vehicles to adjust ride height for greater comfort.
In 2020, Musk tweeted that such a feature is coming, and this seems like the first step. In the release notes, “As the vehicle downloads the rough roadmap data generated by Tesla cars, this adjustment can be made in various locations depending on availability.” This means that potholes and other data need to be increasingly refined as Tesla vehicles hit the roads.
The drive setting will only work on Tesla Model S and Model X cars with adaptive suspension, electric notes. It’s not clear whether Model 3 or Y vehicles also scan uneven roads, even if they don’t have adaptive suspension to take advantage of the data. Both Model 3 and Model S have eight cameras in total.
You’ll need the latest 2022.20 update to enable the feature, then tap “Controls > Suspension > Adaptive Suspension Damping and select Comfort or Auto,” Tesla adds, “and the instrument panel will continue to show when the suspension is raised for comfort. “
Tesla isn’t the first automaker to consider pothole scanning technology. Some manufacturers, such as Ford, even detect individual pits and instantly moisten the suspension, for example. Tesla’s system could be much more practical on familiar bumpy road tracks by simply smoothing out the driving parameters.
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