How can Tesla's electronic rearview mirror overcome the triple tests of technology, regulations and market?

Tesla has always had an ambitious plan to replace traditional physical rearview mirrors with electronic rearview mirrors. This idea is not unique to Tesla. Other car companies have had similar ideas, such as Volkswagen's XL1, Lexus ES, and Hyundai IONIQ 6. However, Tesla seems to be the most determined and persistent one. Recently, Musk reiterated on the X platform that Tesla's future cars will not need physical mirrors and rearview mirrors.

So why did Tesla cancel the physical rearview mirror?

Firstly, the main benefit of eliminating physical rearview mirrors is that it reduces wind resistance, thereby improving vehicle performance and efficiency.

Wind resistance is one of the biggest resistances encountered by a car during driving. It consumes the power and energy of the car and affects the speed and range of the car. According to some studies, removing the solid rearview mirror can reduce the wind resistance coefficient by about 5% to 10%, thereby increasing the maximum speed of the vehicle by about 3% to 5% and the range of the vehicle by about 2% to 4%. For new energy vehicles, these figures are very important and meaningful.

Secondly, eliminating physical rearview mirrors can also improve driving safety and comfort.

Due to the limitations of the external environment and its own structure, physical rearview mirrors often have blind spots, reflections, vibrations and other problems, which make it difficult for drivers to clearly observe the surrounding traffic conditions. Electronic rearview mirrors can achieve a wider, clearer and more stable field of view through cameras and display screens, and can also automatically adjust according to light and angles, and can even integrate other functions such as navigation, reversing images, driving records, etc., thereby improving the driver's sense of security and convenience.

However, eliminating physical rearview mirrors is not without disadvantages and difficulties.

On the one hand, electronic rearview mirrors consume extra electricity, which is also a cost for new energy vehicles. On the other hand, electronic rearview mirrors also need to solve technical problems, such as how to design and match the position, size, shape, resolution, brightness and other parameters of the camera and display screen, and how to ensure the cleanliness, waterproofness, anti-fog and anti-freeze performance of the camera and display screen.

In addition, electronic rearview mirrors need to comply with the regulations and standards of various countries, which is also a considerable challenge.

At present, my country has officially implemented the "Performance and Installation Requirements for Indirect Vision Devices of Motor Vehicles" on July 1, 2023, which clearly stipulates the technical requirements and installation conditions of electronic rearview mirrors, allowing automobile companies to use electronic rearview mirrors to replace traditional rearview mirrors if they comply with regulations.

This is good news for car companies such as Tesla that are interested in trying electronic rearview mirrors. However, there are currently no officially launched electronic rearview mirror models in the Chinese market, and Tesla has not announced a specific launch schedule.

At the Cybertruck launch in 2019, Tesla claimed that the model would use electronic rearview mirrors, but later quietly added triangular physical rearview mirrors to it. 91che is not sure which solution the final mass-produced version will adopt, but what is certain is that the new Model 3 launched by Tesla earlier this month still has physical rearview mirrors. This is enough to show that Musk and his Tesla are not fully prepared when it comes to electronic rearview mirrors.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.