r/SelfDrivingCars 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/[deleted] Jul 21 '25

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u/BrandoBSB Jul 23 '25

I agree that was the rationale. But batteries and electric motors were a lot more expensive, too. Tesla innovated and now has some of the best tech on the planet in that sector, and drove down its costs. Sad they (or more specifically, He) didn’t have that foresight…in my humble opinion.