Photo: Tesla
One year ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was saying a Tesla self-driving robotaxi fleet could be on the road by the end of this year. He may have somewhat of a record for missing deadlines, but this is not one of them.
Earlier this week, while casually chatting up people on Twitter, Elon Musk solved the riddle of the cabin-facing camera on Model 3, also known as a selfie camera. This non-functional camera, whose presence in the cabin had plagued many a Teslarati, is apparently good for selfies but, more importantly, would serve to record inside a cabin to see if a passenger of a robotaxi caused damage during a driverless ride.
The footage could then be used to file criminal charges and seek compensation for damages. In other words, Tesla has been planning and actively working on the platform for robotaxis for long.
It could have very well made giant leaps towards that stated goal, because Musk also revealed (also on Twitter, where else) that the late 2020 deadline is still attainable. Given the current international health crisis and the fact that Tesla factories have shuttered because of it, to many, that statement came across as very far-fetched.
Asked whether robotaxis would become reality by 2023, Musk delivered this piece of good news. “Functionality still looking good for this year,” he wrote. “Regulatory approval is the big unknown.”
That is to say, the Tesla robotaxis will be ready, but whether they would actually be hitting the streets at the end of the year remains largely unknown. Musk is either a hopeless optimist for going on the record with this, or he may very well be hiding several aces up his sleeve.
As of now, no automaker has achieved Level 5 Autonomy, which would allow a driverless car on the road (without a human operator). Legislation on this topic is yet to be drawn up, for that very reason.
The footage could then be used to file criminal charges and seek compensation for damages. In other words, Tesla has been planning and actively working on the platform for robotaxis for long.
It could have very well made giant leaps towards that stated goal, because Musk also revealed (also on Twitter, where else) that the late 2020 deadline is still attainable. Given the current international health crisis and the fact that Tesla factories have shuttered because of it, to many, that statement came across as very far-fetched.
Asked whether robotaxis would become reality by 2023, Musk delivered this piece of good news. “Functionality still looking good for this year,” he wrote. “Regulatory approval is the big unknown.”
That is to say, the Tesla robotaxis will be ready, but whether they would actually be hitting the streets at the end of the year remains largely unknown. Musk is either a hopeless optimist for going on the record with this, or he may very well be hiding several aces up his sleeve.
As of now, no automaker has achieved Level 5 Autonomy, which would allow a driverless car on the road (without a human operator). Legislation on this topic is yet to be drawn up, for that very reason.
How long for the first robotaxi release/ deployment? 2023?
— Pranay Pathole (@PPathole) April 12, 2020
Correct
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2020
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