Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on April 22 during a presentation of its developments in driverless vehicle technology at the company’s headquarters in Fremont, California, that by 2020 it will begin operating its first fleet of “driverless vehicles” in the United States.autonomous robotaxis”. and that very soon it will start to manufacture some cars without steering wheels and pedals.
Musk said that only the approval of the regulator in some jurisdictions is missing, which would allow the“autonomous robotaxis” service to be put into operation, which could use some Tesla on the road if their owners agree to share cars.
“I am very confident in predicting ‘autonomous robotaxis’ by next year, I hope, moreover, to be able to use a model similar to Uber or Airbnb.”
Because of the above, the CEO also stated that it is possible that Tesla will have a ridesharing app and owners who wish to participate in the network could benefit from it. According to this statement, the company plans to provide autonomous cars in areas where there are not enough units for customers.
Autonomous robotaxis will be possible thanks to the world’s best chip?
Tesla currently makes partial autonomy possible for its cars, however, it has not been an easy road to travel in terms of full autonomy approval. This is because they have faced many legal and regulatory hurdles.
At the presentation, Musk commented that“autonomous robotaxis” will be made possible by a chip that is already being installed in his cars:
“At first this seemed improbable – how is it that Tesla, which had never designed a chip before, could design the best chip in the world?”
He further added that:
“All the vehicles being produced right now have everything needed for fully autonomous driving. All we need to do is perfect the software.”
However, despite all their claims, you should know that, Tesla cars are not reaching the required “level 4” autonomy standard, meaning that it can perform all operating functions alongside a human. Let alone a “level 5” in which humans are no longer needed at all.
But, despite everything, Musk assures that“autonomous robotaxis” in which drivers will not have to “touch the steering wheel” will arrive in large numbers by the end of 2020. However, this is not the first time the CEO has promised AI-guided autonomous cars. Is it possible, then, that this time he will deliver what he promised?
Don’t go away! You may be interested in this other article: Autonomous cars will reach their consolidation by 2030.
