The concept of replacing a car’s side rear-view mirrors with cameras that feed into screens mounted inside is nothing new, but it’s so far been considered too complicated and contrived of a solution to have any practical and feasible applications, and has thus been relegated to the realm of concepts for the most part.
However, since cameras nowadays are so small, it is seen as a viable way of reducing drag, and therefore boosting fuel economy.
Proof of this is their incorporation into VW’s XL1 ultra-efficient model, which puts them to good use as they help it (almost) reach its stated figures. Another manufacturer interested in adopting the system is Tesla, whose original Model X concept did feature a similar layout. The idea was dropped, though, and the concept gained the conventional mirrors it still has today.
The main hurdle in the US is, of course, a legal one – currently, it is deemed unlawful to use such a system on the public roads and ditch mirrors altogether, but Tesla’s chief of design, Franz von Holzhausen says they have not given up on the idea yet. Apparently, they are “still in talks with authorities to get the necessary permissions,” as a recent post on Californian journalist Alison van Diggelen’s personal site states.
The necessary legal support for mirror-less cars could come sooner than everybody expects, though, as one of the current topics of debate is the not totally-unrelated idea of mandating that all cars come with backup cameras as standard – legalization of door-mounted cameras could come next…
Some will probably say that this is not the best course of action, but since Tesla is one of the more forward-thinking of modern automakers, perhaps they should at least be allowed to develop the technology to a point where it is genuinely useful and safe (even if the rest of the industry sticks to the norm). There is no harm in giving them incentive to do so by allowing them to do it, and besides, just like in the case of Germany and the XL1, it’s nothing a little lobbying won’t fix…
By Andrei Nedelea
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