American billionaire Elon Musk announced through his account on the X platform that the electric car giant Tesla will unveil the self-driving taxi (Tesla RoboTaxi) on August 8, 2024.
Musk’s tweet came in response to what was recently published by Reuters news agency that Tesla had canceled its plans to produce a low-cost electric car, as the company’s CEO attacked the news agency, describing it as a lie.
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Tesla RoboTaxi is Looking Towards Full Autonomy
In 2015, Elon Musk announced that Tesla cars would achieve full autonomy – meaning the car could operate completely without any human intervention – within three years. In 2016, he also announced that Tesla would be able to send one of its cars on a cross-country trip without needing any human intervention by the end of the following year.
But for Tesla, the dates for revealing the launch of new products are not associated with the proximity of the actual commercial release. For example, Tesla revealed its fully electric heavy truck “Semi” in 2017, and deliveries did not begin until December 2022. To date, it still produces and sells very few of that truck.
Plan To Increase Annual Sales by Promoting the Full Self-Driving Option (FSD)
To increase the company’s annual sales, Musk recently assigned all sales employees to demonstrate the full self-driving service (FSD) to customers before handing them the keys to their new cars. He said in an email to employees:
“Almost no one realizes how well FSD works. Know that this will slow down the delivery process, but it is a difficult requirement nonetheless.”
Tesla is the largest electric car maker in the United States and the world, offering advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including the automated navigation feature, the Autopilot option, or the distinguished Full Self-Driving option (FSD). Which costs the customer $199 per month for US subscribers or $12,000 if prepaid.
However, despite the eye-catching name (self-driving), advanced Tesla cars still require a human driver at the wheel, ready to steer the wheel or press the brakes at any moment.
In December last year, Tesla recalled about two million of its cars on the roads in the United States to limit the use of the self-driving system feature. After a two-year investigation by the US National Traffic Safety Administration into nearly 1,000 accidents caused by this feature.
Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2024
Autonomous Driving Technology: Successes and Challenges
While some companies are developing their own self-driving car products, such as Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet in the United States, and Didi in China, other companies, such as American technology legend Apple, announced the permanent closure of its self-driving unit and the dismissal of about 600 people who were working in it.
On the other hand, the fleet of self-driving vehicles belonging to companies such as Cruise and General Motors has been suspended after separate accidents.
Source: CNBC
