No side mirror = no tow mirror

[kev12345]

Tow mirrors are essential for towing large trailers. How will they solve this with no side mirrors? Will the camera extend out the side to get the wide view of a tow mirror?

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[CTM]

Good point Kevin! Lots of people can’t back up a trailer even with mirrors? What about cameras on the cybertrailers?

 

[ajdelange]

The mirrors on cars that have them are often inadequate for towing and are usually supplemented with some sort of clip on arrangement, But they clip onto the existing mirrors which we are assuming will not be there. Since the CT TriMotor design is clearly based on towing I think it is safe to assume that the truck will have some sort of arrangement for attaching towing mirrors though looking at the door design I have to say that I'm hard pressed to see where the mount points would be.

If the things are in fact delivered mirrorless I suppose there could be cameras mounted on pods attached to the sails,

 

[cyberhunter]

all 3/4 ton trucks have extendable mirrors...all of the trucks coming out now are electric extendable as well. I really feel the trimotor CT is competing in the 3/4 ton truck single rear wheel territory, so whatever camera solution they have in mind would need to see down the side of the trailer. Main reason for this is obviously passing and visibility of what is behind you, but also drivers are constantly checking the trailer tires while driving. If the CT can display on the infotainment tire status for the trailer that will be a neat feature. And I don't mean having TPS in the trailer necessarily since old utility trailers don't have that stuff, but use it's visual sensors, etc. to see that the tire is still round, not low or blown, etc. When you have a powerful truck and a dual axle trailer, it is easy to drive down the road with a blown tire and not feel it or notice it for a bit if you are not paying super close attention or your mirrors don't give a good view.

 

[akia123]

be cool if they have wireless cameras can attach to the trailer. And then transmit to the screen or the video displays for the side mirrors.

 

[kev12345]

there's really no substitute for a side view mirror/trailer tow mirror. i wonder how much of a range penalty the cybertruck would see with a proper mirror setup

 

[AndyWNY]

be cool if they have wireless cameras can attach to the trailer. And then transmit to the screen or the video displays for the side mirrors.

I would love to see Tesla offer a wired option for a trailer camera(s).

If they sold the camera kit you could mount it on trailer, enter length of distance to camera from hitch, height etc. With that info and if they produced the camera they should be able to include those cameras in 3d view. Even if their was a gap in vision/display. Not to mention potential for AI on them.

 

[Dids]

As long as the camera is even slightly wider than the trailer you should be able to get a better side view than you could with a mirror. Just like how a curved mirror gives you a wide side view without having to be further outboard a camera can do that and at the same time correct the perspective shift of "objects are closer than they appear". They should even be able to give you zoomed in views of the trailer wheels if you want.
Part of what dictates where a mirror has to be is the location of your eyes, that goes away with a camera.

 

[MUSK007]

The CT needs side mirrors. It will have them.

 

[ajdelange]

What are they needed for?

 

[Mythrainder]

As long as the camera is even slightly wider than the trailer you should be able to get a better side view than you could with a mirror. Just like how a curved mirror gives you a wide side view without having to be further outboard a camera can do that and at the same time correct the perspective shift of "objects are closer than they appear". They should even be able to give you zoomed in views of the trailer wheels if you want.
Part of what dictates where a mirror has to be is the location of your eyes, that goes away with a camera.

Dids is correct, fish eye cams could potentially increase any view to 180 degrees, with tech it could act slimier to a Pan Tilt Zoom camera, put one on each side,, wow at 4K.

 

[MUSK007]

Have you ever tried to use your back up camera when it’s raining? Can’t see anything. What about mud or snow?
You need them because it is critical to see what is beside you. Sometimes to see what’s behind me I have to wiggle the trailer as well.

Side mirrors are for safety. They are required by law. I would never trailer without them either

 

[ajdelange]

fish eye cams could potentially increase any view to 180 degrees, with tech it could act slimier to a Pan Tilt Zoom camera, put one on each side,, wow at 4K.

I don't want any slimy fish parts on my CT,

You wouldn't need 180° in any case. Perhaps 100 ° would do depending on how far out from the vehicle the camera were mounted.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Have you ever tried to use your back up camera when it’s raining? Can’t see anything. What about mud or snow?
You need them because it is critical to see what is beside you. Sometimes to see what’s behind me I have to wiggle the trailer as well.

Side mirrors are for safety. They are required by law. I would never trailer without them either

I use my backup cameras to back up all the time and I agree that when they get wet they aren't terribly useful, but my car is a 2012 and I'd like to think that the auto makers have all figured out how to shield backup cameras from rain. I can see problems with backup or side cameras low to the ground where slush and mud could splash up onto them. Cleaning would be a pain on a long road trip. But the CT backup camera will probably be up higher. I refuse to believe it would be by the license plate because then any towing thing would obliterate the view. Those have to be for a trailer and the backup camera can be up high and sheltered from just about any weather. The side cameras will also be high and they will likely be reachable from the window in case they need to be cleaned. As for the view itself, the CT is pretty wide all by itself. There probably won't be many legal trailers that the CT side mirrors cannot provide a viable view of. Have you seen the new side views? Tesla says that they will begin showing the side views the main view when you use a turn signal. That could provide plenty of detail. It is true that right now side mirrors are required by law, so perhaps this entire discussion will be moot, but I like hearing the arguments one way and the other.

 

[ajdelange]

Have you ever tried to use your back up camera when it’s raining? Can’t see anything. What about mud or snow?

Several manufacturers have solutions for this.

Side mirrors are for safety. They are required by law. I would never trailer without them either

At the moment yes but NHTSA is reviewing this regulation. It may go away.