2024-01-20 08:44:50
In the parking lot of the Carrefour Le Merlan shopping center in Marseille, Cyril’s car explodes. Not that its design is particularly atypical, except that its round headlights give it an endearing face. No, what particularly differentiates this Honda from other cars is its mirrors. Barely visible from the outside, they are replaced here by cameras. On the dashboard of the electric city car, this translates into two screens, instead of traditional mirrors.
By using this technology on a daily basis for three years, Cyril is a pioneer. In addition to heavy goods vehicles, only a few electric cars feature this system, the main argument of which is to promote aerodynamics. Practical, to maximize autonomy, which is limited to 222 kilometers on the Honda e. But while zero-emission vehicles are multiplying, notably with a 20% market share in November, camera mirrors could appear on more models.
“The image is clear, it never gets dirty”
“It’s really better than traditional mirrors“, assures Cyril, convinced after having covered 30,000 kilometers behind the wheel of this car. “The image is sharp, and it never gets dirty. We also have less risk of having a collision. As for the adjustments, they are made like on conventional mirrors.“Small directional arrows allow you to orient the camera as the driver wishes.
For Sébastien, another owner of a Honda e in Miramas, these camera mirrors are “very practical in town“. “The big advantage is that everyone sees the same thing in the car.“Cyril also appreciates night vision, and the fact that we can.”tilt“the cameras so”to have a view of the rear wheels when reversing“. Practical, so as not to scratch the 17-inch rims fitted to the car’s wheels.
Also available on the Audi Q8 e-tron, the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the Lexus ES 300h and the very luxurious McLaren Speedtail, the camera mirrors however have their detractors. Often, the latter mock the system as a “gadget“. “The big problem is the loss of perspective, we have no concept of distance“, says Jessy, on the social network Facebook. “I find it dangerous“, says Philippe, also noting a lack of perspective. “Other users cannot check if they have been seen before an overtaking maneuver, by looking for the driver’s gaze in their rear view mirror.“
“Close vision” to which the eye must adapt
Among the criticisms, the position of the screens often comes up. “On the Honda e, they are very well placed“, notes Cyril. But on board the Audi Q8 e-tron, they are rather criticized, because they are integrated into the interior of the doors, i.e. lower than a classic rear-view mirror. “It’s very disruptive when maneuvering“, describes Steven, who owns the electric SUV but says “love” the option, nonetheless.
In Auribeau, in Vaucluse, Florent says he voluntarily configured his Lexus without camera mirrors. “This is the only option I absolutely didn’t want.“, said this taxi driver. “The integration of the screens is sloppy and the quality is not exceptional, according to testers.“The price, too, put off this road professional.”The option is still worth €2000“, he recalls.
Camera mirrors will, in any case, never really be able to match the rendering of a mirror. “It’s mostly near vision instead of distance vision, so it’s potentially problematic for presbyopes.“, analyzes Cédric for his part. A mirror in fact reflects the light, so that the driver’s eye will perceive its image almost in the same way as what he is looking at in front of him, through the windshield. Facing a screen, the perception is not the same and the eye cannot, technically, read the image as quickly, since it must adapt after taking its eyes off the windshield. The reaction time risks therefore to find oneself lying down.
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