Elon Musk’s robotaxi fantasy is starting to unravel
- Elon Musk has promised “millions” of autonomous Tesla vehicles will be on the road by the end of next year, a promise he’s made every year since at least 2020.
- Musk’s previous promises have failed to materialize, and Tesla has faced investigations into fatalities involving its vehicles and driver assist features, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.
- Despite his optimistic outlook, Musk has acknowledged himself as “the boy who cried FSD” due to the repeated delays in achieving full self-driving capabilities.
- Musk’s latest promise comes as Tesla faces financial problems and a tumultuous global trade war, leading him to shift focus towards autonomous vehicles.
- The reality of running a car company amidst these challenges seems to be taking a backseat to Musk’s vision for a future with millions of autonomous Teslas on the road.
Last night, Elon Musk did what he does best: promise “millions” of autonomous Tesla vehicles would be on the road by the end of next year.
It’s become a familiar refrain. Every year since at least 2020, Musk has promised Tesla vehicles will finally achieve their full self-driving capabilities. And every year, those promises fail to come to fruition. Tesla has come under investigation for numerous fatalities involving its vehicles and its driver assist features, Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. His rivals continue to outpace him. And Musk has even acknowledged his overly optimistic outlook by labeling himself “the boy who cried FSD.”
“I predict that there will be millions of Teslas operating autonomously, fully autonomously, in the second half of next year.”
That fantasy of millions of autonomous Tesla vehicles is getting closer to reality, Musk promised again last night. You’ll be able to sleep in your car and wake up at your destination by the end of this year, he vowed. As Tesla’s financial problems mount, the billionaire CEO seems eager to shift focus away from the drab realities of running a car company amid a tumultuous global trade war, and toward a mor …
Read the full story at The Verge.