Elon Musk says Tesla vehicles are ‘very close’ to being completely autonomous and will reach ‘basic functionality’ by end of 2020, allowing the cars to drive without human input
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the electric vehicle maker is close to developing complete driving autonomy technology
- Musk made the announcement in a video message during the opening of Shanghai’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference Thursday
- Musk said that level 5 autonomous driving, as the technology is called, will ‘happen very quickly,’ and expects it will have ‘basic functionality’ by year’s end
- Tesla, the most valued car maker in the world, is among EV makers racing to develop driving technology that will not require any human input
- Tesla vehicles currently offer an auto pilot feature, however, the technology still requires a driver’s interaction
US electric vehicle maker Tesla is ‘very close’ to achieving complete autonomous driving technology, CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday, referring to the capability to navigate roads without any driver input.
‘I’m extremely confident that level 5 or essentially complete autonomy will happen and I think will happen very quickly,’ Musk said in remarks made via a video message at the opening of Shanghai’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference.
‘I remain confident that we will have the basic functionality for level 5 autonomy complete this year.’
Tesla is also developing new heat-projection or cooling systems to enable more advanced computers in cars, Musk said.
US electric vehicle maker Tesla is ‘very close’ to achieving complete autonomous driving technology, CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday, via a video message at the opening of Shanghai’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference
Musk said that Tesla was confident that the electric vehicle maker will have the ‘basic functionality for level 5 autonomy complete this year’. A worker loads Tesla cars at the company’s Fremont, California, plant earlier this year
Tesla, other automakers and tech companies, including Alphabet-owned Waymo and app-based ride share company Uber, are investing billions in the autonomous driving industry.
However industry insiders have said it would take time for the technology to get ready and public to trust autonomous vehicles fully.
The California-based Tesla currently builds cars with an Autopilot driver-assistance system, which still requirers some human input.
Some customers, however, have reported malfunctions with the technology.
A federal probe was started after a 12th Tesla crash in December was believed to be tied to the auto pilot system. The technology at the time was suspected in four fatal accidents.
The most recent deadly crash happened in March of 2019 in Delray, Florida, when Jeremy Banner’s 2018 Tesla Model 3 slammed into a semi-truck, killing the 50-year-old driver.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Banner turned on the Autopilot feature about 10 seconds before the crash, and the Autopilot did not execute any evasive maneuvers to avoid the collision.
The three other fatal crashes date back to 2016.
Industry data showed Tesla sold nearly 15,000 China-made Model 3 sedans last month.
Tesla last week became the highest-valued automaker as its shares surged to record highs and its market capitalization overtook that of former front-runner Toyota Motors.
Tesla last week became the highest-valued automaker as its shares surged to record highs and its market capitalization overtook that of former front-runner Toyota Motors. The EV maker’s plant in Fremont, California, is pictured
Shares of the company climbed five percent in early morning trade on July 1 to a record of $1,133, boosting the company’s market cap to $209.47 billion – $6 billion more than Toyota.
The shares’ meteoric rise, which has more than doubled in value since the beginning of 2020, highlights growing confidence among investors about the future of electric vehicles and marks Tesla’s shift from a niche carmaker into a global leader of eco-friendly cars.
Tesla became the world’s second-most valuable automaker in January, when it surpassed Volkswagen AG. As of Wednesday, the company is now worth more than twice the German manufacturer.