Over the years, Elon Musk has boasted about Tesla’s self-driving capabilities. But, honestly, just how autonomous is the car—and will it really ever be able to drive itself?
Reuters reports that Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, began touting “Autopilot,” the car’s “full self-driving capability,” back in 2015. Now, it’s 2019, and we’ve yet to see Musk’s promises come to fruition.
Setting the Groundwork
In October 2015, Musk declared that all new Teslas would be built with the hardware that is required for full self-driving. One year later, Tesla began offering a $5,000 “Enhanced Autopilot” option and an additional $3,000 “Full Self-Driving Capability” option. These options would make the cars ready for the eventual rollout of the corresponding software. At this time, Musk predicted that, by the end of 2017, a Tesla would be able to drive across the county in full autonomous mode “without the need for a single touch.”
No Forward Progress… Yet
In June 2018, Musk tweeted that the Autopilot driver assistance system would soon get full self-driving features. And, in October 2018, Tesla introduced software intended to help the car “navigate on Autopilot,” particularly for on/off ramps, lane changes, and highway interchanges.
Bold Predictions for the Future
But now it’s April 2019, and although the Tesla is still not driving itself, the company says it’s making “significant progress” on the Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer. The Autopilot system is now standard on all Tesla vehicles, and Musk says it’s the only company to have a full self-driving suite of hardware. In fact, he’s now making even bolder predictions about the great self-driving things to come:
- In 2020, Tesla will have “over a million cars with full self-driving, software, everything.”
- “Probably two years from now, we’ll make a car with no steering wheels or pedals.”
- Tesla will have autonomous “robotaxis” without drivers in some U.S. markets in 2020.
What Do You Think?
Will the arrival of self-driving cars be good or bad for the U.S. job market?