Many have been waiting for the release of Tesla's autopilot car. Thus, the CEO, Elon Musk said that the electric car company will be able to have the full self-driving car technology by the end of 2019. However, he stated that the rollout can be delayed due to regulatory problems.
Elon Musk made an estimate during his appearance on Tesla investor ARK Invest's podcast. In the podcast, the CEO talked about the technology that Tesla could possibly offer. He means that the car will be able to drive itself without the presence of a human. He added that the electric car company has an enhances autopilot feature. With that, the car can match the speed of traffic and can switch lanes without the input of the driver, according to CNN.
Thus, he added that the car can pick you up and take you to your destination without any intervention. Also, it can find you a parking lot. "This year, I would say I am of certain of that. That is not a question mark."
As follows, Tesla is under the judgment of between praise and investigation. Back in 2016, the company has experienced a fatal crash and the autopilot played a major role as reported by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. Also, last year the electric car company also hit a parked police car and is also in autopilot, according to Fortune.
Elon Musk's predictions on the capability of Tesla's autopilot has fallen short before. In 2016, the CEO mentioned that he is expecting the autopilot to drive from Los Angeles to New York, without any interventions by the end of 2017. Furthermore, Elon Musk mentioned that the safe autopilot rode will be arriving soon. He said "My guess as to when we would think it is safe for somebody to essentially fall asleep and wake up at their destination? Probably towards the end of next year. That is when I think it would be safe enough for that."
However, not everybody is on Elon Musk's side. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety believes that the prediction of the CEO is wildly optimistic, as per the research director Shaun Kildare. He added that the Tesla Vehicles does not have as many ways as detecting obstacles compared to the cars being tested by the Alphabet's Waymo unit, or the various automakers.
In addition, Kildare also said that his group is in support of autonomous driving. But Tesla's autopilot safety data is as conclusive as the company claims. He mentioned that "it can save a lot of lives, prevent a lot of injuries. But it's not ready yet."
