I don't know why but I genuinely hate those side mounted cameras, like really really hate them. I don't understand what benefit it brings and my brain can only conjure up images of cracked screens, deep scratches or smudges, costly repairs.
The benefit is less drag, and therefore more efficiency. Tesla is trying to make them happen to. Not sure how I feel about the look though.
Besides that you don’t need the whole mechanics of the mirrors like moving and folding them. All this could be done with software. Dimming and heating is also not necessary and the camera could also be used for some part of the autonomous driving. I guess in 5-10 years many cars would have them
Surely heating is still necessary if the camera lens gets frosted up in cold weather.