Dash Camera for Model S

I recently had Tesla install a dash camera in my Roadster. Driving in most major cities has become a constant near-accident experience and I have found it comforting to be recording what is in front of me if something were to go wrong.

Has anyone considered a dash camera for their Model S and where it could be located?

I would also love to see the back-up camera permanently being recorded on a looping-SD card. Then if the vehicle was ever rear-ended there would be good evidence of fault. These cameras and digital storage capabilities are not that expensive and could be invaluable in an accident investigation. I think some day all cars would have cameras (like now found in most police cars).

After the dust settles next week on my Model S delivery, I hope to work with Tesla to see what they could mount and power around the rear view mirror to record what is happening in a wide field-of-view in front of the vehicle. Anyone have any comments or experiences with this technology?

vfx said:

Can you post picture of your install and the specs on how it works?

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Some of the features I was looking for in a dash camera were:

- 1080p resolution (1980 x 1080 pixel) at a reasonable frame rate (30fps or greater)
- Must support looping (ie: when the memory card is full, the camera erases the oldest footage but keeps recording)
(My understanding is that the Go-Pro cameras do not support this feature)
- Support for a large SD memory card (8GB or more)
- Automatically turns on when the car starts and turns off when the car is turned off
- Able to provide a wide field-of-view and filming in low light conditions (ie: day or night)
- Have a monitor for playback on-the-spot (so that the police could be shown footage without having to upload to a computer)
- Be small enough to not block the driver's vision
- Powered by the car (not batteries)

The Tesla rep was able to hide the USB power cable in the car's molding panels. He decided to hang it in the rear window looking forward and made a bracket that he mounted by replacing a bolt in the rear window frame. The camera films over my shoulder and shows a bit of the cockpit as well as the view through the front windshield. Although it is a little more visible than I would have liked, there is not much room to work with inside the Roadster. I am very pleased with the results. I don't have to think about it, the camera just automatically records all my driving.

I will have to take some photos of the unit in its mounting bracket and see if I can post a frame from the video.

Here is a frame from the video capture.


A single frame doesn't do the picture quality justice, but you can tell in the image the speed I'm driving (nice hand placements on the wheel!), where the driver is looking (via the mirror) and you can even almost read the song title on the Sirius radio. There is a date and time stamp on the video. License plate numbers are easily visible when a car is right in front of you. I am using a 32GB Category 10 SD card so there are several minutes of video recorded before the card has to erase old footage. Usually, if you get into an accident, you only need the last couple of minutes (or seconds) so I record at the highest quality and frame rate. At night, the headlights help with illuminating the picture.

It is too bad that half the frame view is the inside of the roof (so there is a lot of wasted pixel space) but those of you who have driven a Roadster know, the field of view out the front is not very great. I usually have to lean forward to see if the traffic light has changed.

In the Model S, I am hoping to have a more complete forward view but I will miss capturing a bit about what is happening in the cockpit. Some cameras (like for Taxi driver safety) film both the interior and exterior of the vehicle. That could be helpful in an accident investigation, but it could also be a little grisly in a serious crash.

There is always a risk that you capture yourself doing something wrong or being at fault in an accident, but I still think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

vfx said:

Thanks for the info.

Is it easy to stop after you have been hit? It would be (extra) terrible to find that the system recorded the accident scene for 20 minutes or the tow truck drive home while the driver was taken away in an ambulance.

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The camera recording process could be easily stopped by pulling the USB plug out of it but since the recording stops when the car is turned off, I would expect the vehicle would be powered off if towed or in an accident.

Jaff said:

Could you add a couple of phasors to deal with slow moving traffic? :wink:

Cool idea David...I'll see you next Thursday, I'd like to find out more about your Roadster's setup...

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Traffic phasers sound like a great upgrade for either the Roadster or the Model S.

I see they found your Sig and you now have a VIN. You are #2120 and I am #2117. Not sure why our VINS are in the 2100s when we should have been early in the batch, but since all the cars are being delivered at once, I am fine with the VIN. Hopefully I will get to see you at the delivery party (is it okay to drink Champagne at 9am and then get behind the wheel?).

It will be interesting to see what might be missing from the Canadian Sigs (parcel shelf, cubby, spoiler, jump seats?). This should be under another thread but, oh well.


Back on topic, here is a link to the latest variant of the camera I purchased (and the company I got it from):

1080P HD Infrared Dash Camera with LCD (60FPS - 4 IRs) | Helmet Camera & Helmet Cam Shop - StuntCams

Here is the link to the manufacturer's spec sheet for the dash camera:

DOD-Dream Of Digit-tech PRODUCTS


I will try and get pictures of the Roadster mount for anyone interested. It was a Tesla rep who installed it, but the installation was not officially sanctioned by Tesla. I am hoping the larger front windshield of the Model S will make for an easier location to install but I like the suggestion about possibly mounting it, if possible, around the pano roof.