After conquering the electric car market and leading the change in the industry, Elon Musk has a new and well-known desire: autonomous driving. One of Isaac Asimov‘s dreams. The American tycoon has that goal in mind although, in recent times, numerous legal setbacks have caused the company to reevaluate its approach. Despite the setbacks, Musk has reassured us that he seems very difficult to achieve: Tesla’s next vehicle will be autonomous for the most part, although, of course, he has avoided giving specific details.
The controversial statements have taken place during a day of conferences organized by Morgan Stanley, one of the largest investment banks in the world. Faced with a public that is in great need of innovation, Musk has affirmed that the next-generation cars based on the new platform that is being developed will have extensive autonomous driving capabilities, surpassing current models that have a level 2 program, according to the classification established by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers).
It is also true that Musk has not given specific details of when such an event will take place. Just like last March 1 on Investor Day, vagueness and lack of details have become the general trend of the latest appearances by the CEO of the company. Tesla needs a concrete market plan regarding its upcoming launches as many investors are losing patience with the company’s lack of transparency. The shares fell more than 10% for this reason.
Elon Musk’s promise is not new. Since 2016, it has become one of his mantras and recently we learned that that first commercial video hid some dark secrets. If we go forward in time, the head of the company assured us that by the end of 2022 autonomous driving would be a reality in the range. Already in October, he had to deny himself by assuming reality. The first car with a level 3 autonomous driving authorized in the United States is not a Tesla, but a Mercedes.
If we focus on the judicial framework, those from Austin have numerous open fronts in the American courts. In the middle of last year, a judge punished the company for using a false name for its driving assistance program. Be that as it may, Musk continues to bet on that path as an important source of business for the company. The truth is that he has not specified which vehicle will be equipped with such cutting-edge technology, although the most logical thing to do is to think of the Tesla Model 2 whose development has already been confirmed.
