Using Side Cameras in Place of Side Mirrors and Installing Aftermarket Side Camera Monitoring System

[Cybergirl]

After removing the side mirrors on my Cybertruck, I found that using the left, right, and rear multi-camera display feature that's available on the stock Cybertruck problematic for the following reasons:

1) The multi-camera display has to be manually (or verbally) called up on the center screen, then a swipe up on the screen to view the rear camera.
2) The multi-camera display covers up the navigation map.
3) When the multi-camera display is active, the turn signal side view displays with red bar warnings are not displayed.
4) Checking the left lane by looking right at the center screen display I found to be unnatural, especially when it needs to be done quickly.
5) Switching between the multi-camera display and the map display with voice commands is too slow ( e.g., when navigating in an unfamiliar city).

To mitigate these issues, I installed an independent side camera monitoring system. A small camera was mount on each side of the truck:

The cameras are inexpensive 720p AHD (analog high def) cameras wired to a cellphone-size (6.25") split screen color monitor:

The monitor is mounted above the steering wheel using an adjustable, magnetic mount, clamped onto the center display:

The color display quality is adequate for the purpose. It has a time-based day/night brightness setting.

A button on the top of the monitor will turn off the display (e.g., at night if head light glare is bothersome).

The monitor is strongly attached to the mount magnetically. It can be unplugged and removed if necessary.

I can check the side lanes to the rear before activating a turn signal.

The regular rear view display is nicely located to the right on the center screen.

The navigation maps are not obscured.

The cameras and monitor are powered from the truck's OBDII port under the dash on the driver's side.

Power to the monitor is automatically removed 5 minutes after leaving the truck (unless Sentry Mode is turned on).

The cameras and monitor draw 6 watts when powered (insignificant compared to when Sentry Mode is turned on).

Camera and power wiring is hidden behind the white dash panel which is not difficult to remove.

One can also insert a micro SD card into the monitor to record video (I'm not using this feature).

The only negative that I've found is that vehicles are much closer than they appear on the display because of the fish eye camera lenses (same as the stock cameras).

I purchased the camera system from AliExpress and the Mount from Amazon. Cost was less than $200.

I prefer this set up to using side mirrors.

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[loganthefrst]

Omg, hard ew. I have my mirrors removed and it’s worked great. Glad you found a solution for you but it sounds like you need to slow down if you’re making split second decisions with changing lanes ? No disrespect, this just seems so silly (and visually off-putting) both on the interior phone setup and exterior camera bump. Hope it treats you well though!

 

[Art138]

Interior appears too cluttered,but do what works for you; I would be constantly distracted between views.

 

[sefar]

I dunno, looks pretty video game chic to me. I'm still considering a rear view camera that I can see better.

I'm in the minority but I like the side mirrors. Easy to get a quick side glance and better for parking in the dark than the cameras.

 

[Stuck4ger]

I find myself using the mirrors in tight spots but *only to avoid hitting the mirrors*! I’m looking forward to removing them. In the meantime I’m training myself to better interpret the rear view display and have mental rules of thumb for where vehicles are in the display vs real life location and hazard.

 

[Cybergirl]

Omg, hard ew. I have my mirrors removed and it’s worked great. Glad you found a solution for you but it sounds like you need to slow down if you’re making split second decisions with changing lanes ? No disrespect, this just seems so silly (and visually off-putting) both on the interior phone setup and exterior camera bump. Hope it treats you well though!

I drove without the benefit of side mirrors for a while and found the practice somewhat unsafe. I don't drive fast, but there are instances when making a lane change requires a quick check for clearance by glancing at the side mirror. Without a side mirror, I found that learning to responsively look to the center screen wasn't working reliably for me, and it failed completely if I had the maps displayed when navigating in an unfamiliar location.

 

[loganthefrst]

I drove without the benefit of side mirrors for a while and found the practice somewhat unsafe. I don't drive fast, but there are instances when making a lane change requires a quick check for clearance by glancing at the side mirror. Without a side mirror, I found that learning to responsively look to the center screen wasn't working reliably for me, and it failed completely if I had the maps displayed when navigating in an unfamiliar location.

Totally fair point, but again, soon we'll have FSD and this will be a moot point. When driving manual, if having to check quickly for something before changing lanes, you're not driving cautiously enough, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news haha.

 

[FarAway]

I drove without the benefit of side mirrors for a while and found the practice somewhat unsafe. I don't drive fast, but there are instances when making a lane change requires a quick check for clearance by glancing at the side mirror. Without a side mirror, I found that learning to responsively look to the center screen wasn't working reliably for me, and it failed completely if I had the maps displayed when navigating in an unfamiliar location.

While I applaud your ingenuity and resourcefulness in finding work arounds. That is still what they are, work arounds.

This problem needs to be addressed from the top-down. That is, start with NHTSA modernizing their new vehicle requirements to recognize technology like remote vehicle cameras and display screens that can substitute for mirrors. Then auto manufactures can deliver vehicles with this technology seamlessly incorporated in the design. BTW, your solution did make wish there was a small driver display screen in the CT! Personally, I would much prefer that to the one "wasted" on the backseat.

Anyhow, keep up the innovation!!

 

[Cybergirl]

Interior appears too cluttered,but do what works for you; I would be constantly distracted between views.

Yes, it is more cluttered than I'd like. I could remove the iPad mini (on the left) which is only turned on for off-road navigation with the Gaia GPS app. When the map is displayed on the center screen, the only other "distraction" is the rear view display.

 

[Cybergirl]

I find myself using the mirrors in tight spots but *only to avoid hitting the mirrors*! I’m looking forward to removing them. In the meantime I’m training myself to better interpret the rear view display and have mental rules of thumb for where vehicles are in the display vs real life location and hazard.

Using fish eye cameras does take some time to get used to. They make it harder to judge distances. I left the mirrors on during the training period as a way to recalibrate my sense of distance when using camera views.

 

[Cybergirl]

Totally fair point, but again, soon we'll have FSD and this will be a moot point. When driving manual, if having to check quickly for something before changing lanes, you're not driving cautiously enough, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news haha.

No bad news received. I agree that FSD (Supervised) makes the need for mirrors less important, and eventually totally unnecessary.

 

[Cybergirl]

While I applaud your ingenuity and resourcefulness in finding work arounds. That is still what they are, work arounds.

This problem needs to be addressed from the top-down. That is, start with NHTSA modernizing their new vehicle requirements to recognize technology like remote vehicle cameras and display screens that can substitute for mirrors. Then auto manufactures can deliver vehicles with this technology seamlessly incorporated in the design. BTW, your solution did make wish there was a small driver display screen in the CT! Personally, I would much prefer that to the one "wasted" on the backseat.

Anyhow, keep up the innovation!!

I completely agree. Unfortunately, the timeline for NHTSA to issue new regulations on this subject is open ended. There are camera systems (e.g., MirrorEye) for tractor trailer rigs that have been approved as a replacement for mirrors and, apparently, supersede existing state mirror statutes. Cameras are superior to mirrors in many ways. Why NHTSA is dragging its feet on making cameras, as a substitute for mirrors, legal is baffling.

 

[L3it3R]

is.... that an iPad?

Yeah this looks interesting, but hard pass for a "solution" that is already present in the car.

 

[Cybergirl]

is.... that an iPad?

Yeah this looks interesting, but hard pass for a "solution" that is already present in the car.

I don't find the existing 3-camera display an adequate solution for these reasons:

1) The 3-camera display has to be configured on every drive. It defaults to the front camera, not the rear camera.
2) With the 3-camera display present, the map display along with trip ETA, miles remaining, and final SOC are obscured. Switching to the navigation display and back to the 3-camera display requires toggling the camera icon on the center display or issuing voice commands. The former is not safe, and the latter disrupts conversations and takes too long.
3) If you happen to be viewing the map, there is no immediate way to check the right or left side lanes. I found this to be a safety issue. Tesla could mitigate this issue with an OTA software update.
4) The 3-camera view does not display the red "not clear" warning bar if an approaching car is too close. The fish eye cameras make it too easy to misjudge the distance of an approaching car in the adjacent lane leaving the impression that it's safe to make the lane change when it isn't. The red LED is meant for use with the factory mirrors.

In my experience, the only way to drive safely with the side mirrors removed is with dedicated side camera displays. Before making a lane change, I look at the side view monitor to see if the lane is clear. If the lane looks clear, I activate the turn signal which brings up the side view display on the center screen. Glancing at the pop up side view display, if the lane still looks clear and there's no red bar present, I make the lane change. I don't like activating the turn signal for the purpose of checking for lane clearance. It signals that I'm going to make a lane change even when I'm not.

I really wanted to avoid installing these aftermarket cameras, but found the built in camera displays inadequate and unsafe. I do not recommend removing the side mirrors without an extended period of testing in various situations, in-town roads, highways, familiar and unfamiliar locations. You don't want to be the cause of an accident and be found not to have factory mirrors on the vehicle.

 

[L3it3R]

I guess if you're dead-set on removing the mirrors and the other things you mentioned cause you too many issues, what you've done is a way forward... to each their own I suppose.
Personally, mirrors on, and I toggle the video feed on and off often enough for various reasons that I really don't think twice about it TBH.

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