Tesla will remove ultrasonic sensors from Model 3 and Model Y in the next few months

Tesla Inc said it will start to remove ultrasonic sensors from vehicles this month, as the company will continue to use only safety and driver assistance features. Tesla vehicles now have 12 ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear bumpers, with short-range acoustic sensors mainly used for parking and detecting close-range objects.

Speaking of ultrasonic sensors, Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid said: " It'll save them a few dollars. I mean these things are cheap."

Tesla began ditching radar sensors last year due to a shortage of chips. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla could drive fully autonomously with cameras, but he has fallen short of his goal of launching a driverless taxi.

Tesla's Autopilot system has faced increasing regulatory, legal and public scrutiny after multiple crashes.

Tesla said it will remove ultrasonic sensors from Model 3 and Model Y globally in the next few months, and in Model S and Model X in 2023.

Tesla noted that the shift will temporarily limit the automatic parking feature but will not affect crash safety ratings.