What does everyone think? Auto makers have been showing concept cars with cameras in place of side mirrors for years, and many have cited the huge aero drag the side mirrors create. Is it about time for the government to allow such a change? One good thing about conventional mirrors is that other motorists can see back at the driver through the mirror to see if he or she is paying attention during a lane change, for example. Also cameras may be more easily negatively affected by poor weather conditions than conventional mirrors, as a few drops of muddy water or snow on the lens can ruin the whole image. Will these be a problem?

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/15/t...-side-mirrors/

Tesla working to eliminate side mirrors

Of all the concept car technologies, one of our favorites has been the deletion of side-view mirrors in favor of video cameras. Besides improving the look of the car, it'd lower drag and improve fuel economy. However, cost, available technology, and most importantly, the government, stand in the way of this tech making it onto a production model.

It's that last facet that Tesla is seeking to change. As Automotive News explains, when the Model X debuted in concept form, it was without wing mirrors. But when the production car was revealed, it had the conventional mirrors, largely because the camera'd car violated the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety code (Standard 111, to be precise).

Now comes word that Tesla has actively been lobbying the NHTSA to do away with the standard. It's got breathing room at the moment. We reported a few months ago that the federal mandate regarding backup cameras had been pushed back to 2015. That gives Tesla plenty of time to work the safety administration over regarding the mirror replacement, getting the new tech approved in the next mandate.

While some might scoff at this, there is a precedent for manufacturers influencing this sort of small scale change. As AN points out, Volkswagen hounded the German government to change its legislation in order to ditch the drag-inducing mirrors for video cameras on the ultra-efficient XL1

 

it will look odd if they are gone totally. I hope its just the camera in the shell for the mirror like some of the concepts we have seen

 

About freaking time! Bring on better aerodynamics!

 

It'll look odd for a while and we'll get used to it.

 

I like the idea. Couple it with the images being on a HUD & we may actualy see a slight improvement in driver safety as well, since the majority of people can't be bothered to look prior to changing lanes. It really just seems like the next logical step.

 

Government is always hindering improvement and competition.

I welcome side mirror deletion, to all the people who thinks it'll look weird, I'm sure the Lamborghini Aventador would've "looked weird" in 1920. Come on..

 

bring it....

 

50% of drivers don't use them anyway....at least here in NY

 

I may be the only one who feels this way, but I don't see how a camera can fully replace your side mirrors. It essentially gives you tunnel vision. With conventional mirrors, you can move your head slightly & see a vastly different section of the road than what you were looking at less than a second ago. Unless you want to use a fish-eye lens & a relatively large screen, you loose that ability altogether. I'm also not convinced that someone who won't check the existing mirror will make any more use of a screen. Sure, it'd be nice to reduce the drag, but I'm not sure the loss of visibility is worth it, particularly with cars already having more bunker-like windows these days as well.

 

It will just keep bumping up the price of new cars that much more....as the up-coming Federal regulation for back-up cameras on all new U.S.-market cars also will. And, IMO, just one more reason to teach people to DRIVE instead of relying on ever-increasing electronics.