Tesla Vision-only parking update without ultrasonic sensors nears release as detailed on a new Model 3

Tesla recently started removing the ultrasonic sensors (USS) that were used for detecting close objects while parking from its new vehicles, claiming that the Vision camera system can take over their duties. In reality, it saved US$144 per vehicle from removing the USS units and harness, but didn't introduce any stopgap solution, leaving owners of newer Tesla models to wait on a software update before they regain the parking sensor functionality. As Tesla informed at the time:

For a short period of time during this transition, Tesla Vision vehicles that are not equipped with USS will be delivered with some features temporarily limited or inactive, including:

• Park Assist: alerts you of surrounding objects when the vehicle is traveling <8 km/h.
• Autopark: automatically maneuvers into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces.
• Summon: manually moves your vehicle forward or in reverse via the Tesla app.
• Smart Summon: navigates your vehicle to your location or location of your choice via the Tesla app.

In the near future, once these features achieve performance parity to today’s vehicles, they will be restored via a series of over-the-air software updates.

That Tesla Vision-only object detection while parking may be nearing its release at long last, as not one, but two Model 3 vehicles have now been caught displaying the distance to objects using only the car's cameras. The first was a salvaged 2018 Model 3 that kept detecting arcs and distances without the presence of ultrasonic sensors and with radar disconnected, indicating that Tesla may have been testing the Vision-only feature on USS-equipped cars first.

The same feature, however, has now been spotted active on a new 2023 Tesla Model 3 that shipped without ultrasonic sensors straight from the factory. The test drive vehicle started detecting the distance to objects and showing their arcs using only the Tesla Vision camera system, hinting that a new factory firmware may be making the rounds for Vision-testing purposes on such probe cars.

It remains to be seen when will the Vision-only parking system be made available to Tesla vehicles without ultrasonic sensors, but the first of the "series of OTA updates" that will unlock the functionality now seems a step closer to release.

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