Transforming Tesla into the Leader of Self-Driving Technology
Elon Musk has consistently shown a strong interest in self-driving vehicles, asserting that they will be among Tesla’s most significant offerings. However, despite ambitious claims, several years have passed without the realization of fully autonomous cars.
Nevertheless, Musk, known for his unconventional announcements, took to X on a Friday afternoon, a time often associated with burying news, to declare that Tesla will introduce its robotaxi on August 8.
Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2024
His message was succinct, devoid of specifics: “Tesla Robotaxi reveal on 8/8,” stated the Tesla CEO and proprietor of X.
Elon Musk has boldly proclaimed Tesla’s intention to produce vehicles devoid of human controls and equipped with Full Self-Driving Capability, which he claims will continuously improve through software updates.
Musk envisions these vehicles evolving into fully autonomous taxis, generating revenue for their owners by providing rides independently.
Tesla’s Quest for Full Autonomy remains incomplete
Despite Tesla surpassing some of Musk’s previous projections regarding self-driving capabilities, the company has encountered delays in achieving full autonomy, a fact even Musk himself has admitted, thus, casting shadows on the expectations from the upcoming robotaxis.
Tesla’s initial forecast from five years ago aimed to launch robotaxis by 2020, projecting substantial profits for both the company and car operators.
However, Musk’s penchant for optimistic timelines has sometimes led to delays, as acknowledged by the CEO himself.
Presently, Full Self-Driving capability is being available and/or can be acquired as an add-on for a new Tesla Model 3 at a considerable cost or through a subscription model.
However, Tesla emphasizes that the current features still necessitate active driver supervision, indicating that full autonomy has not yet been achieved.
Elon Musk has boasted that Tesla’s self-driving system, once successful, will eventually skyrocket the value of Tesla cars, suggesting that vehicles equipped with full autonomy capability could be worth up to five times their current value. Despite Musk’s bold claims, experts who have tested the system assert that it is still a long way from achieving true autonomous driving without human intervention.
Challenges and Competitors in self-driving tech
Kelly Funkhouser, an associate director at Consumer Reports, recently evaluated the self-driving system and expressed less concern about its performance compared to Tesla’s standard Autopilot feature, which is aimed at providing restricted assistance to drivers at highways. (sourced from CNN)
Ironically, she noted that the Full Self-Driving technology’s poor performance actually keeps drivers more alert, likening it to handing over control to an inexperienced teenage driver.
While Tesla struggles to perfect its self-driving technology, several other companies, such as Waymo and Cruise, are also pursuing autonomous ride-sharing services.
Cruise, a subsidiary of GM, temporarily halted its testing activities following a disturbing incident where one of its self-driving cars struck and dragged a pedestrian.
Investigations revealed that the company had not been forthcoming with regulators about the incident, leading to scrutiny from the Department of Justice.
Meanwhile, Waymo faced its own setbacks when two of its vehicles collided with the same tow truck within minutes, prompting a recall of its cars.
Thus, Musk’s robotaxi will come against this doubted ecosystem of self-driving tech and it is to be seen with high anticipation whether it will be able to keep up with the challenges or not.
