Is the World Ready For a Car Without a Rear Window?
- Reference: 0182871588
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/04/25/2017210/is-the-world-ready-for-a-car-without-a-rear-window
- Source link:
Besides the camera feed (and side mirrors), the Polestar 4 offers four short-range cameras (for 360-degree views), and even short-range ultrasonics, [3]the Wall Street Journal points out . (Car rear-view windows are usually five feet off the ground, "making a typical traffic cone invisible from closer than about 35 feet." ) And this new design also improves "aero efficiency," reducing drag and shearing turbulence, "critical, since the Polestar 4 is all-electric, and aero drag is the mortal enemy of range."
> [A]s a practical matter, the Polestar 4's innovation only acknowledges what drivers already know. In many modern cars, the rearview mirror is all but useless, anyway. In a typical full-size SUV, the glass in the rear hatch is about 10 feet away from the rearview mirror, with two sets of headrests in between... Having spent a few days in what Polestar calls an "SUV coupe" I am here to report that drivers won't miss the mirror. For one thing, the display is shaped like a conventional mirror, imbuing it with the comfort of the familiar. The imagery is convincingly mirror-like — reversed — with eye-like focal length, decent resolution and lowlight sensitivity, making it easy to trust when judging distances, with the help of graphical overlays and warning tones. It also has excellent auto-dimming algorithms....
>
> The Polestar 4 is called that because it is the fourth model from the Swedish-Chinese premium/luxury collab, born out of Volvo Cars' performance subbrand. Describing it as an "SUV coupe" almost feels like a translation error. The design eschews signaling traditional utility in favor of a jocund modernism — call it orbital chic.... As for missing the rear window, my advice is, don't look back.
"In sports cars, rearview mirrors have been essentially decorative for some time," the article points out. (The 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 originally envisioned "a rear-facing periscope fitted in a dorsal channel in the roof.")
"The era's contempt for rearview mirrors was captured in [4]a scene from The Gumball Rally (1976) when Raul Julia's character snaps the mirror off his Ferrari Daytona and throws it away. 'The first rule of Italian driving,' he says. 'What's behind me is not important.'"
There's 11 exterior cameras, plus 12 ultrasonic sensors and a mid-range radar to watch for threats and "intervene if necessary". One feature even reads speed limit signs and shows the posted limit on the driver's display. ("If the car exceeds the limit, the driver will hear a warning sound.") Even the windshield has built-in camera sensors to provide automatically "adaptive" headlights that switch from high beam to low beam when they identify approaching vehicles or the taillights of cars ahead.
"A total of seven airbags are deployed in the event of a collision."
Thanks to Slashdot reader [5]fjo3 for sharing the article.
[1] https://www.polestar.com/us/polestar-4/
[2] https://www.polestar.com/us/polestar-4/safety/#rear-view-hd-camera
[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/is-the-world-ready-for-a-car-without-a-rear-window/ar-AA21FVCv
[4] https://youtu.be/fDaONrHK1f8?t=4
[5] https://www.slashdot.org/~fjo3
no, plz ban this (Score:3)
I like to be able to see if the driver is looking in their mirror at me so that I can reasonably determine if they are paying attention or not.
Re: (Score:2)
I guess you would hate me. My back and side windows are max tint. You aren't seeing me through the back window. The summary has a specific quote "What's behind me is not important." This is largely true most of the time. They are occasions where I may want to quickly get over because the person behind me is approaching rather quickly and I'm concerned they won't stop in time, but from a legal standpoint, it's entirely on them. Obviously I'd like to avoid that accident as I'm the one that would likely suffer
Re: (Score:2)
Yea, I do. I'm expected to just trust you aren't a moron when you back up out of a parking spot. In 2026, statistically speaking, you are going to be a moron.
Re: no, plz ban this (Score:2)
When I pass someone on a motorway I don't move back in into their lane until I can see them in my rear view mirror. That way I know I'm far enough ahead to give them their reaction distance. And I don't need to turn around to look out a window. A glance, and my eyes are then looking forward again. Much safer. I use my rear and side mirrors too ensure I'm situationally aware of who is around me and what they are doing so that I can adjust my driving if needed. Granted it you don't use them you don't "n
Re: no, plz ban this (Score:2)
Yes, absolutely. If I see the guy in front has his phone to his ear, or is obviously looking down to send a text, I can adjust my driving accordingly. More data is always good!
Re: no, plz ban this (Score:2)
I like to be able to look through the window of the car in front so I can get a better view of the road ahead. I canâ(TM)t stand being behind vehicles that block the view of the road.
Re: no, plz ban this (Score:2)
I'm driving off the traffic after, not just the one car. If I can see the car in front of the car in front of me, I can react to him breaking at the same time as the car in front of me. Windows for the win!
Lamborghini Countach (Score:3)
The last models didn't have any rear window, at all.
I have a Tesla Model Y (Score:2)
I love the rear facing camera, it's really useful for backing on a curvy driveway at night, and many other things
One small problem. It's really wide angle, so it gives a distorted view and makes it hard to judge distance
When I'm 3 feet from an obstacle, the camera view makes it appear more like 10-15 feet
Re: (Score:2)
> I love the rear facing camera, it's really useful for backing on a curvy driveway at night, and many other things One small problem. It's really wide angle, so it gives a distorted view and makes it hard to judge distance When I'm 3 feet from an obstacle, the camera view makes it appear more like 10-15 feet
Jeep has backup lines superimposed on the image, that in conjunction with a sensor on the wheels, moves around and tells you where you will end up if you continue backing up with the wheel turned in the direction you have it. plus green, yellow, and red distance markers You can back up like a Boss, make super accurate 3 point turns, and in the woods on narrow roads with a steep drop it can be a lifesaver. If someone is coming the other way and we meet, I tell them I'll back up. I've done over a quarter mil
Re: (Score:2)
omg. I just got a new 2026 VW Jetta S and I absolutely love the backup camera. I still catch myself looking backwards, but its true, when I'm pulling out of spaces where I have zero visibility to my left and right, that camera's wide angle allows me to see way more than I normally could. The super-imposted backup lines also make it MUCH easier to parallel park. My wife still doesn't use it because she doesn't trust it, but I'm sure she'll eventually come around.
Re: (Score:2)
> Jeep has backup lines superimposed on the image, that in conjunction with a sensor on the wheels, moves around and tells you where you will end up if you continue backing up with the wheel turned in the direction you have it. plus green, yellow, and red distance markers
My wife's Outback has this as well.
On my Camry, the lines don't move... but they are still color-coded the same way, plus there's an (rather quiet) alarm if you get too close to whatever's behind you.
Re: I have a Tesla Model Y (Score:2)
Donâ(TM)t they all do that? I rent a lot of cars, and canâ(TM)t remember a car with a reversing camera that didnâ(TM)t have guides that adjust with the turn of the steering.
So essentially an always-on backup camera (Score:2)
Except its display is on the upper windshield where one has typically found a mirror before.
Sure, why not? In modern cars, it can only help visibility - rear windows are basically afterthoughts already on most vehicles. Additionally, a conventional mirror it's useless when your car is full of stuff, which does occasionally happen.
Aptera's have solar panels instead (Score:2)
Optionally, a custom build can have a window. but it's a huge cut in its self-charging ability.
Hello, 1995 calling... (Score:2)
"Its high-resolution display (1480 x 320 pixels)"
Re: (Score:2)
Rather 1985...
Add a video input connection too. (Score:2)
I have a camera mounted to the rear of the camper. I need to have a seperate screen in the truck to use the camera. GM in its lack of imagination did not leave a simple composite input as an alternate feed to the back up camera, but they did include a setting to always show the backup camera's view in the infotainment screen.
And yes the guide bars in the camper camera are a great help in backing it up.
Sure, why not (Score:3)
What's one other piece of electronics to go bad over time or have the driver pay an exorbitant amount to have repaired if they're in an accident.
The K.I.S.S. principle is dead.
Mirrors (Score:2)
Low tech, cheap, 3D (depth perception), much higher res, still work when dirty. We don't need tech to replace something that works better than the tech. Cameras and screens are useful, additional, tools (I love my reversing camera). But mirrors and windows are still the better option.
Re: (Score:2)
I'll add one more. Focus distance. For a mirror, it is infinite, well distance to object in mirror which is basically infinite in this case. For a screen it is the distance to the screen. I was chatting with a person who has progressive lenses and he said he has to look up to see the "mirror" since near is at the bottom of the lens. Maybe they could put the screen for the camera on the dash instead. I know a few of the camera systems are really camera/mirrors and so you can pick a mirror image instead of a
Re: Mirrors (Score:2)
Good point. I occasionally wear glasses when driving that have a mild (-0.25) prescription (they take my 20/20 vision and make it even clearer). But looking at the dash and infotainment display is a slight strain on my eyes. And this is with a very weak prescription. With a stronger lens this would be impossible. So you wouldn't be able to see anything on the screens.
Courage is contageous (Score:2)
I'm ready for a car without wheels.
Emergency Egress? (Score:2)
You just drove into a lake. The car is going down nose-first. The bystanders would like to rescue you, but that rear access that is still above water for the moment is not available.
Re: (Score:2)
> You just drove into a lake. The car is going down nose-first. The bystanders would like to rescue you, but that rear access that is still above water for the moment is not available.
That’s what you get for relying on Apple Maps
Cops ... (Score:2)
... will be pulling these things over with weapons drawn.
My anecdote (not data) (Score:2)
We owned a small pickup truck some decades ago with a cab-over camper on it. There was nothing to see out of the rear view mirror because of that, but we did have pretty large side mirrors on both sides of the truck. That was enough, at the time, to deal with lane changes and whatnot. I would rather have the large side mirrors than a rear view camera attached to a crappy display that may or may not be working when you really need it.
What mirrors provide (Score:2)
Something that a mirror provides but a camera does not is binocular vision. That is, when I look into a mirror, my depth perception is maintained. A camera+display is strictly monocular.
I'm seeing a lot of comments along the lines of "oh, backup cameras are great!" I certainly hope that is not the only time people want to see behind them! My rearview mirror gets way more use when I'm on the highway than in my driveway.
What's "eye-like focal length"? (Score:2)
> The imagery is convincingly mirror-like — reversed — with eye-like focal length, decent resolution and lowlight sensitivity
Do they mean it has some sort of optics in front of it so that my eye focuses on the display as if it's at 20'+ distance, as it would subjects in a traditional mirror? If so, yes please. And please put that on the dashboard display, too. My 50+ year old eyes don't focus inside of 36" away, and my bifocals stop at 24". Aaaaand, the dash is between those two. Fortunately, I also drive an older car with analog gauges, and it's pretty easy to see where the dial points.
Otherwise, I have no idea what they me
Heck... (Score:2)
After a few years of driving in Cyberpunk2077, I'm ready for a car without a windshield ;-D
Not quite (Score:2)
As an owner of a 2025 4Runner with a "digital mirror", I can tell you that things don't look the same as they do with a regular mirror. Objects in the digital mirror appear closer than they actually are.
For once, yes (Score:3)
Obviously the world is ready, because they have existed since near the dawn of automobiles.
Lots of vehicles don't have a rear view window, or one so small it is useless. Some manufacturers, like Nissan, have been supplying rear view cameras in place of the mirror for many years too. The screen is places where the rear view mirror normally goes.
I'm just sad that side cameras didn't replace wing mirrors. Especially now that everyone has super bright headlights, not having a mirror means no light reflected at you.
Re: For once, yes (Score:2)
> I'm just sad that side cameras didn't replace wing mirrors. Especially now that everyone has super bright headlights, not having a mirror means no light reflected at you.
I've only ever had this problem with the rear view mirror.
Re: (Score:2)
It's an issue with side mirrors in the UK. Maybe something different about the headlights here.
One thing you can do is angle them to reflect the light back at the guy who didn't adjust their headlights properly, but it's a hassle.
Re: For once, yes (Score:2)
It's because of vehicles that have their lights setup for driving in counties where people drive on the right hand side of the road.
Re: For once, yes (Score:2)
I am in the UK, and I've never had a problem with being dazzled by headlights reflected in my side mirrors.
Re: For once, yes (Score:2)
I have in Ireland. But that's only because the stupid fucktard behind me left his full beams on instead of dipping them. Luckily it doesn't happen often.
Re: For once, yes (Score:2)
Why doesnâ(TM)t it surprise me that youâ(TM)d do something passive-aggressive? Pointless too because your mirrors are unlikely to be bothersome. But, you say itâ(TM)s a hassle, which suggests your attention is distracted from the road and worse, youâ(TM)re trying to dazzle somebody else, which of course could result in an accident.
Re: (Score:2)
> It's an issue with side mirrors in the UK. Maybe something different about the headlights here.
the fecking leds, probably.
Re: (Score:1)
> Obviously the world is ready, because they have existed since near the dawn of automobiles.
apparently that's no showstopper for a slashvertisement.
if we were to crowdproduce a contest to hail the most asinine shark-jumping slashvertisement (the shlarkdot award!) this one would be a good nominee for 2026. just saying and moving on ...
Re: (Score:2)
> I'm just sad that side cameras didn't replace wing mirrors. Especially now that everyone has super bright headlights, not having a mirror means no light reflected at you.
I endure this every morning on the way to work. I often have to use my hand to block the headlights in the side mirrors.