Elon Musk, the CEO of electric car giant Tesla, announced on Thursday that the company is on the verge of achieving fully autonomous vehicles “later this year.”
Speaking via video link at an artificial intelligence conference in Shanghai, Musk expressed his confidence in Tesla’s progress towards achieving full self-driving capabilities.
“In terms of where Tesla is at this stage, I think we are very close to achieving full self-driving without human supervision,” he said.
Elon Musk and his predictions
While acknowledging that he had previously made predictions that did not come to fruition, Musk emphasised that Tesla is closer than ever to achieving this significant milestone. He said he remains optimistic about the progress being made by Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.
“I feel like we’re closer to it than we ever have been,” said the Tesla owner.
He specifically mentioned the possibility of achieving what he referred to as “four or five,” which represents two of the most advanced levels of autonomous driving technology.
“This is only speculation, but I think we’ll achieve full self-driving, maybe what you would call four or five, I think later this year.”
Musk’s latest forecast comes after Tesla faced regulatory scrutiny over its driver-assistance technology in the United States.
Musk to strengthen Tesla’s presence in China
As per AFP, Musk’s appearance at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai marks part of his ongoing efforts to strengthen Tesla’s presence in China and leverage the country’s thriving electric vehicle market.
China is currently the largest electric vehicle market globally, with EVs making up a quarter of all car sales in the country.
Tesla’s decision to build a second factory in Shanghai underscores its commitment to this important market.
With electric vehicles accounting for a significant portion of car sales in China, Tesla faces competition from both domestic and Western brands. Tesla, as per the news agency report, has faced some challenges recently, including a drop in first-quarter earnings and had to implement price cuts to remain competitive.
Tesla’s autopilot nightmare
Reuters reports that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently looking into 830,000 Tesla vehicles and their autopilot system. On July 3rd, the US safety regulator requested updated responses and current data from Tesla regarding the performance of autopilot and its role in over a dozen crashes involving emergency vehicles. The NHTSA is also looking into whether Tesla vehicles ensure that drivers remain attentive while using the driver assistance system.
(With inputs from agencies)
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