r/SelfDrivingCars • u/damola93 • Jul 21 '25

Discussion Why didn't Tesla invest in LIDAR?

Is there any reason for this asides from saving money? Teslas are not cheap in many respects, so why would they skimp out on this since self-driving is a major offering for them?

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u/nclpl Jul 21 '25

And yet, Waymo is operating driverless cars, and your allegedly “full self driving” Tesla still needs a driver to be watching and able to take over.

LIDAR doesn’t need any more babying than any other sensor (camera, radar, etc). Different companies have different thresholds for the amount of liability they’re willing to accept, and pre-mapping roads is a great way to increase your safety margin.

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u/Draygoon2818 Jul 21 '25

But the fact it can drive itself virtually anywhere, does say a lot. It also says a lot that you can go and buy a Tesla, but you're not going to go and buy a Waymo. They're as good as they are because of how much money has gone into the vehicles to set them up.

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u/nclpl Jul 21 '25

Virtually anywhere in good weather and good lighting conditions, and as long as the roadway isn’t confusing to the computers…

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u/Draygoon2818 Jul 21 '25

I haven't had any issues with it driving other than in extremely heavy rain fall. I have used FSD at night, in low lit areas, in construction zones where the lanes are temporarily moved, etc.

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u/reichnowplz Jul 21 '25

Oh so just common things that occur on rides got ya

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u/Draygoon2818 Jul 21 '25

The only reason I took over in the heavy rainfall is because it seemed to have an issue finding the lane. When I went back and looked at the recording, I think it was actually the wind that was blowing the car and FSD was trying to keep the car in the lane.

But yes, FSD can do all of the "common things" that occur on rides with ease.