Most important Tesla products this year and next, according to Elon Musk, will be software that allows cars to drive themselves and a humanoid robot that will assist in the manufacturing.
From technology to regulation, the most well-known billionaire in the electric car market has significant obstacles. For years, Tesla and other auto technology companies have fallen short of their self-driving software ambitions.
Musk has made a name for himself by overcoming doubters with successful firms in electric automobiles and rockets. 60,000 Tesla drivers are testing the latest self-driving software, a scale that other autonomous vehicle software companies can only dream of. Some Tesla drivers buy $12,000 self-driving packages in the hopes that full autonomy is on the way.
Read more: Tesla delivered record 936,172 electric vehicles in 2021, up 87 percent
“I’d be surprised if we don’t reach full self-driving that is as safe as a human this year, ” Musk added, anticipating that fully autonomous vehicles will become “Tesla’s most important source of revenue.””
“It’s extremely good from a financial standpoint,” he said, adding that robotaxis would increase a vehicle’s efficiency by five times by allowing owners to send their cars to work when they aren’t needed.
Tesla relies solely on cameras and computer intelligence, bypassing rivals such as Waymo’s use of radar and lidar. That strategy which has sparked controversy.
Scrutiny From Regulators
Even if the technology works, authorities would evaluate Tesla more closely before launching networks of free-roaming robotaxis. Following accidents involving Tesla vehicles and parked emergency vehicles, US auto safety regulators launched an investigation into the company’s advanced driver assistant technology.
States have been given recommendations by federal vehicle safety regulators, but no complete regulations for self-driving cars have been published.
During earnings call a year ago, Musk stated that he was “very sure the car will be able to drive itself with dependability beyond human this year.”
Musk also revealed that engineers are working on a humanoid robot named Optimus that will be released next year and potentially handle global labour shortfalls in the long run while also being able to carry products around a factory in the short term.
