Will we ever replace the standard rear- and side-view mirror?
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Oct 1st 2009 at 7:59PM 
Recently, we received the following question from a reader:Interesting, no? We've been seeing such technology on concept cars and movies on the Sci Fi Channel for years, but there aren't actually any new cars available on the showroom floor of your nearest car dealership that offer such a feature. Why not, and when will we see it? Click past the break to keep reading.Rear view mirrors inevitably create blind spots. They add untold fuel costs by resisting airflow past the automobile at speed. Since the first back-up camera and display technology came on the scene they have been obsolete. What is taking so long for the slippery designs to emerge that would incorporate this technology for panoramic rear or 360-degree viewing, perhaps as a partially opaque image on the windshield?
I can't help but believe that somewhere in a design lab some technician is hard at work on this, so when will we see it in the market?
Replace the standard rear- and side-view mirrors? What's the big deal?
As we've already discussed in a previous Greenlings post, the aerodynamic efficiency of any given automobile is one of the contributing factors to calculating that vehicle's overall efficiency. Generally speaking (and assuming all else is equal), the more difficult it is to push a car through the air, the more energy will be used to travel a given distance. Now, take a look at the car that's parked in your driveway. See those big mirrors hanging off each side? Those likely detract from the car's aerodynamic efficiency.
Of course, safety is also of primary concern. While it might be possible to reduce the drag of a car's side mirrors, making them smaller would inevitably lead to a reduced view of what's going on around the car.
Huh. So, what can we do about it?
As pointed out by the question in our opening paragraph, there are currently designs in the works that would replace the side-view mirrors in our cars and trucks with cameras, which would send a live image of the car's surroundings to a display for the driver to monitor.
If there's already a display for the side mirrors, it would make sense to incorporate the windshield-mounted rear-view mirror into the system as well.
Gallery: Nissan's Around View Monitor
That sounds cool, when might we see it?
Actually, you can already get a glimpse of this kind of technology in action. Many vehicles – often large pickups, SUVs and minivans – are already equipped with cameras that display a rear-view image while the vehicle is backing up. Such systems are implemented to help a driver see what's directly behind the car... like, say, a small child, and they aren't active all the time.
Further, automakers such as Volvo and Ford are using blind-spot warning systems that help keep a driver from changing lanes when another vehicle happens to be in an area the driver can't see.
None of those technologies, while interesting and possibly very useful, are exactly what we're talking about here, though. As of today, there aren't any new cars or trucks that use cameras and video feeds exclusively as a replacement for traditional mirrors.
The first vehicle using cameras and video feeds that does go into production may be the Aptera 2e. While that machine isn't technically a car – due to its three-wheeled arrangement, the 2e will be considered a motorcycle in most States – and will also be equipped with standard mirrors, it is expected to feature the kind of technology we're talking about.
Gallery: Aptera
Why aren't rear- and side-view cameras available now?
As with many such questions, there isn't a single good answer as to why there aren't any rear- and side-view camera systems available as standard equipment on cars and trucks today. One reason, obviously, is cost. It isn't too expensive to fit a couple of well-placed mirrors on an automobile, but adding cameras, lenses, video screens and all the associated electronics can get pricey quick. There may also be legal red tape standing in the way of full-time video usage inside an automobile, and that would need to be worked out.
All things considered, though, while it would be very cool and would potentially offer some efficiency benefit, there is still plenty of lower-hanging fruit for car designers and engineers to grab that would likely have a much larger benefit. Further, many companies are hard at work on game-changing technologies like hydrogen and lithium ion batteries, and these developments are taking lots of time and resources to turn into realities. This being the case, we're not really expecting to see rear- and side-view camera systems show up as standard equipment on lots of cars for quite some time.
Have a question that you'd like us to consider for a future Greenlings article? Feel free send us a tip using the link at the top of your screen or reply to this or any other Greenlings post. We'll be watching.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark Kiernan 8:11PM (10/01/2009)
Yeah, the biggest problem with door mirrors is the blind spot so cameras could easily solve this problem. I have never driven a car with a camera in the back but I imagine it wouldn't take long to get used to.
Also a cam with video screen could run on low wattage so it wouldn't zap the energy from the battery too much. Also currently you could buy an off the shelf system for about 100 dollars so I don't see why automakers aren't using them more.
Reply
rob 8:16PM (10/01/2009)
Part of the problem is that there are a few key patents out there and the holders are asking too much for royalties. It is ultimately cheaper for the car companies to keep using the tried and true mirror. I chuckled out loud in a meeting where a rather innovative all optical system was shown and the inventor was asking for more money in royalties than twice the entire mirror package (his costs didn't include the actual manufacturing of the product either!).
Reply
Wanted 8:29PM (10/01/2009)
Where do you work, Rob? Sounds like the Sharks show on ABC.
Charlie 11:48PM (10/01/2009)
Biggest problem to overcome is that a great many places motor vehicle laws designate Rear View Mirrors... some states even make it illegal to have a video screen where the diver can view it. So, until the legislation gets the laws on a federal level to designate cameras and video screens to be substitutable for mirrors.... You will still have mirrors messing up the aerodynamics.
Reply
Aaron 10:03AM (10/02/2009)
Additionally, the monitors don't provide the 3D view that a mirror does. This is the number one complaint when real people try the video screen "mirrors".
Think about it: When you look at a mirror, you look at it with both eyes. The mirror reflects the world to both eyes, allowing you to see a 3D image. A camera "mirror" only has one "eye", and the image displayed on the monitor is only 2D and doesn't convey the sense of depth that a mirror does.
amtoro 1:07PM (10/02/2009)
Aaron, while you are very correct when you indicate that seeing objects on mirrors still allows for stereoscopic vision, you must consider that, optically, the angular difference your brain perceives is that of an object roughly twice as far from the mirror than in reality, therefore, the three-dimension advantage gets reduced considerably. It is hard to notice the difference in an object at, say, 30 or more feet when looking at it with one eye closed or not.
On the subject, I would add the cameras for this application would have to consider all light conditions, including blinding headlights to which the brain can adjust and still see the surrounding areas but the camera lens can not, night/dusk (possibly using infra-red technology), etc. I will get expensive very quick when you add all that; it is definitely NOT your average back-up camera.
Doug 4:54PM (10/02/2009)
Stereoscopic vision isn't so much of an issue, but parallax is. I like to be able to move my head slightly and see more of what's behind me.
mike 10:28PM (10/01/2009)
uhmmmm.... aren't the mirrors also required by safety laws?
Or will any rearward viewing device, such as a camera-monitor system, meet those laws sufficiently?
Reply
My_SS_RX8 10:33PM (10/01/2009)
Quite a few motor homes, not too surprisingly, have full time rear view cameras to supplement the mirrors.
Reply
Clavius 10:38PM (10/01/2009)
To me I've always been curious as to why some of the small shop super car makers havent incorporated a system like this. They are already shelling out over a million why not have something like this to add to the rarity.
Reply
NeilBlanchard 10:49PM (10/01/2009)
Hi,
I've installed 2 video mirrors on my Scion xA:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-22.html
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-18.html
They work very well in lower light, in the rain, and there is no blind spot -- a truck behind me appears in both video mirrors and the inside rearview optical mirror. All the times when optical mirrors are poor, the video mirrors work well. They have IR LED's on the cameras, so objects near the cameras are lit at night.
They do make you adjust to the perspective (things look farther away that they are) -- but this could be largely corrected for in the lenses. Cars that are moving past me with their *rear* bumpers about even with my *front* doors -- are still visible on the screen. The field of view is very wide.
The other downsides are they do not handle full sunlight well, and the LCD screens have to be kept cool -- if they overheat, they go black. This only happened once, and if I turn on the fan or the A/C then they're fine.
And yes, they help with the fuel mileage, because they are smaller and lower drag than the stock mirrors. The cameras cost ~$22 each, and the screens were ~$55 each. With an additional "stop" or two on the bright end of things in the cameras, and with cooler running LCD backlights, and ideally with purpose made corrective optics on the cameras -- these would be much better than optical mirrors, IMO.
Sincerely, Neil
Reply
Andrey 3:57PM (10/02/2009)
I looked at site you provided. Looks nice. I was thinking, maybe you could use motorcycle turn light assemblies for camera housing.
http://z.about.com/d/motorcycles/1/0/m/S/-/-/2009_Honda_CBR600RR_ABS.jpg
nrb 11:12PM (10/01/2009)
"more difficult it is to push a car through the air, the more energy will be used to travel a given distance"
That's your excuse for publishing this as a green article?
Pathetic.
Reply
Peter F 11:28PM (10/01/2009)
Why wouldn't saving gas be a "green" issue?
nrb 12:22PM (10/02/2009)
It's a stretch. Mirrors are designed to be pretty areodynamic. Let's offset that by the cost of powering the electronics, not to mention the cost of manufacturing the electronics.
This belongs on Autoblog, not AutoblogGreen.
Nick 3:36PM (10/03/2009)
nrb
What do you know about aerodynamics?
Side-view mirrors cause a huge drag, as much as the entire windshield at high-speeds. I worked with automotive engineers, it's a fact.
They alone can make you lose up to 2mpg at 70mph.
If you don't have any facts, then STFU
nrb 5:01PM (10/03/2009)
I find that hard to believe. Can you provide some sources?
Chris 11:34PM (10/01/2009)
"Rear view mirrors inevitably create blind spots. "
No, people who aim the side mirrors so that they can always see the side of their own car create blind spots. Properly adjusted mirrors should flow directly from the view of one to the next.
An easy way to set them is to lean sideways until your head is against window, then adjust until you can no longer see the side of your car, and do the same with the passenger side mirror while your head is at the center of the car.
Have someone walk around the car and you should be able to see them everywhere with a slight turn of your head. No need to crane your head over your shoulder to see whats next to you.
Reply
David Robison 1:47AM (10/02/2009)
The problem with that position is that you no longer have the side of your car to provide you with a point of reference, so you don't know how for out (laterally) objects in the mirror are.
bee1000 9:54AM (10/02/2009)
Chris is exactly right. You can eliminate (or drastically reduce, depending on the car) blind spots if you adjust your mirrors properly. There is absolutely no reason anyone needs to see the sides of their own car in the side mirror. It might take a little time to trust your mirrors, but once they are adjusted properly there is only one place a car in your mirror can be - in the lane next to you!
The folks at Car Talk can teach you how: http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/