Dashcam maker Vantrue has received a lot of media attention in recent weeks, debuting one of the first dashcams to work in full darkness. It achieves this via thermal imaging. And it also is one of the few to include CarPlay and Android Auto via its dashcam’s 6.2-inch screen.
And Vantrue is setting up a dealer network in the US, it told us. We’ll have more information on that in the future.
The company’s Pilot 2 can ‘see’ in darkness up to about 200 feet in the distance, says Vantrue. This is beyond the reach of one’s headlights, adding extra safety.
Even dashcams with “night mode” still require some visible light. Thermal imaging, however, relies on heat signatures and converts that to a ‘picture,’ showing the bright shapes of people and animals, versus the duller shapes of trees and roadway.
The Pilot 2 is a 4-channel dashcam with a tiny waterproof thermal imaging module that’s IP67-rated and attaches to the front of the car. The dashcam uses a Sony Starvis camera for the windshield (with two lenses), recording at 1080p. Then a front facing 2K camera records at 1440p and a rear mounted camera records at the same resolution.
According to Tom’s Guide only two EVs come with an integrated thermal camera: the Cadillac Vistiq and Cadillac Escalade IQ, which cost over $100,000 each.
The Pilot 2 is expected to sell at around a $600 MSRP. It is also expected to be offered on Kickstarter initially starting in April at around $450.
Vantrue has been selling dashcams since 2015.
Source: Mens Journal, Tom’s Guide, TechRadar, Vortex Radar, and Vantrue
Image credit Vortex Radar
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Home security cameras need this as well. Foggy days in CA gives you a white screen with no image. At least it could possibly record someone hiding.