Tesla has been working on getting regulatory approval for adaptive/matrix headlights in the United States for quite some time. The latest we heard on this front was that the refreshed Model Y would be the first of Tesla’s vehicles to receive support for adaptive headlights in North America.
That statement has finally come true, with several users on X now having received their refreshed Model Ys, and showing off the capabilities of the matrix LED array in all its glory.
Adaptive Headlights
Adaptive Headlights come with two particular features. The first feature is already enabled globally - Teslas equipped with matrix headlights will track curves on the road and “adjust” the beam left and right, as well as up and down, based on the road ahead of you. This is part of the same functionality behind how FSD works and is based on reading the road lines or shape ahead of your vehicle.
The second feature is now enabled on the refreshed Model Y, which is adaptive high beams. Vehicles with matrix headlights will selectively dim or brighten the LEDs that make up the matrix based on other traffic. That means you can effectively drive with your high beams on, and your vehicle will automatically prevent people ahead of you from getting blinded by glare - because the beam pointing in their direction is dimmed to a normal headlight level.
This is a fantastic safety feature, especially if you’re driving in more rural areas or on two-lane highways outside of cities, where high beams are used more often. It keeps both the driver safe by ensuring they have maximum situational awareness of what is ahead of them and other road users safe by making sure they don’t get blinded by a headlight.
Other Vehicles When?
While Lars didn’t confirm that the refreshed Model Y’s headlights are the same as other Teslas in his interview with Jay Leno, he did confirm other models will be getting the feature. This seems to be more of a vehicle-by-vehicle process, as the functionality is already enabled outside of North America, in markets such as Europe and Asia-Pacific.
This also includes the Cybertruck, whose lower headlight array does indeed feature matrix functionality - so Tesla owners of all models with matrix headlights can look forward to getting Adaptive High Beams in the near future.
High-Res to Low-Res
Tesla introduced their matrix headlights with a high-resolution LED matrix in the past, which allowed precise control over many individual pixels. Over time, Tesla has instead transitioned to a lower-resolution version of the same system. While these low-resolution variants can’t project text during a Light Show, they’re likely cheaper to produce and easier to replace.
Whether you have high-res or low-res matrix headlights, once Tesla enables the feature, you should see a similar experience. You can check our guide to determine if your vehicle has matrix headlights.
