Tesla Model Y sees a huge update in newly built cars

New Tesla Model Ys have been spotted by Tesla enthusiasts in the US with upgraded camera hardware, which Tesla calls Hardware 4 (HW4). 

These vehicles were spotted outside the Californian factory by Tesla enthusiast The Kilowatts on Twitter and will feature higher resolution cameras along with an expected high-definition radar. 

Tesla has been working on the HW4 suite of hardware and software suite for a while now. A goal of this upgrade is to ensure a much better Autopilot system that can see more around the vehicle. 

This would be particularly helpful for the full self-driving capabilities of the vehicle along with improvements on Autopilot’s functionality in the real world.

The changes were first spotted by Model S and Model X owners who took deliveries of their vehicles earlier this year. 

Back in March, one of these Model S owners actually went as far as comparing the field of view the cameras now get compared to the previous generation Autopilot system on a Model Y.

At that time, the repeater cameras showed a noticeable improvement in the field of view on the new cars with this hardware.

The Tesla Model Y with the older camera hardware was unable to capture parts of the road with its side repeaters that the HW4-equipped Model S could.

Now that Tesla’s flagship models have had this upgrade for a few months now, it makes sense to start a broader rollout across its new fleet.

The most recent images of the camera suite which is visible in the spotted vehicles show a new camera with a red tinge on the lens.

There is also a software component to the HW4-equipped vehicles which was speculated to be a bit behind in its effectiveness in the earlier vehicles. 

Now that Tesla is starting to roll this out onto a mass-produced vehicle like the Model Y, the software might be approaching closer to release to a broader subset of the Tesla HW4-equipped fleet.

It is yet to be seen if production of the HW4 vehicles has also begun out of Shanghai which supplies vehicles to the Australian market.

With rumours brewing of an updated Tesla Model 3 which also just around the corner, some significant improvements to the hardware and software of newer Tesla vehicles are to be seen in the coming months.