(1) Before engineers dreamed of eliminating drivers in cars, they imagined eliminating the side mirrors. Now a long-sought solution looks closer to finally stripping cars of side mirrors.
Many automakers demonstrate video systems that replace the Mickey Mouse ears with cameras. Continental, a major parts and systems supplier to automakers, was one of them.
(2) In a customized Mercedes-Benz CLS, Continental demonstrated how its system would work. Thumb-size video cameras on the exterior of the car replace the side-mounted mirrors and use interior screens on the left and right side of the dashboard to deliver views of what is next to and behind the car.
The screens are near where a driver would normally look to check a mirror, and the camera views are wider than what a physical mirror can provide, eliminating blind spots along the side of the car.
The cameras, which can automatically adjust to reduce glare from sunlight or increase brightness at night, are also helpful in tight parking spots.
(3) Technology suppliers hope that regulations requiring old-fashioned physical mirrors will be amended.
Philipp Hoffmann, BMW’s project manager for camera monitor systems expected to begin road testing of the mirrorless systems in Europe this year, quickly followed by additional testing in Asia. He remained hopeful that the United States would follow soon.
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(4) He may have a good reason to be optimistic. Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, is already testing a couple of autonomous tractor-trailers in Nevada that use large high-definition screens instead of side mirrors.
Also, BMW recently received an exemption from the Transportation Department in the U.S. to allow it to deploy an automatic parking feature that enables a BMW 7 Series car to park itself, while the driver stands on the curb. It is a feature the company demonstrated only a year ago.
(5) Using cameras instead of physical mirrors could also end dangling damaged mirrors. To replace a typical mirror can be expensive as much as $946 on a 2015 Acura RLX, according to the insurance institute.
However, Mr. McConnell at Continental noted potential savings in building cars that no longer need the structural support for side-mounted mirrors.