Science & Technology

Tesla's cars will soon all drive themselves

By T.K. Randall
October 20, 2016

Image: Elon Musk at the SpaceX CRS-8 post-launch press conference
Credit: Kim Shiflett / (PD) NASA In a surprise announcement during a press conference last night, the billionaire revealed that all new Tesla vehicles will be equipped with the ability to drive entirely without human intervention.

The ambitious upgrade, which will be made possible thanks to the implementation of a new suite of cameras and sensors, means that the cars will offer 'level 5 autonomy' - the highest possible - thus enabling someone to be driven to their destination without needing to control the vehicle at all.

Tesla's existing cars, by contrast, only offer a rudimentary form of autonomous driving which still requires that the driver be ready to take over the controls at a moment's notice.The company is hoping to have its new cars ready by the end of the next year and will demonstrate the technology by using one of the vehicles to carry a passenger on a cross-country road trip.

Not everyone however is confident that Tesla's self-driving technology is going to be ready so soon, especially given the practically limitless obstacles and situations that drivers face on the roads.

It remains unclear how the cars will deal with problems such as cyclists swerving in front of them, road works with manual traffic signals or children unexpectedly running out on to the road.

If the technology goes live too soon and an accident occurs it could set the company back years.

Source: Wired.com

Tags: Tesla, Elon Musk, Self-Driving Car