Musk’s commitment and consistency to revolutionize the future deserves praise; although his self-driving Robotaxi is not Bumblebee from Transformers (film series), I look forward to his futuristic promise. Elon Musk has made headlines once again after announcing that within the next six months, the company would be introducing its Ride-Hailing Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. As Tesla relies solely on Full Self-Driving (FSDS) software for driving, the absence of human drivers is considered to be a significant limitation. Musk, despite its futuristic appearance, has not been forthcoming about his capacity to create ambitious timelines.
Musk’s habit of promising more and giving fewer details is either a blessing to us or just a marketing strategy. Despite expectations, Musk did not reveal much information but during Tesla’s earnings call, he disclosed that these autonomous vehicles would operate automatically and that unsupervised FSD could be rolled out to California and other states in the next year. However, the integration of Tesla cars into the ride-sharing service will not happen until 2025, and owners must wait for it to happen. In my opinion, the right type of information can sound very promising and Musk has not failed to do so regardless of his disclosing fewer details.
Cybercab and Tesla’s ambitions:
Initially, Elon Musk hinted at the possibility of launching an autonomous driving service in October when Tesla unveiled its Cybercab model that lacks a steering wheel or pedals. At that time, Tesla was considering launching an early version of its ride-sharing service in Texas and California in 2025, using Model Y SUVs and Model 3 Sedans. The CEO then called 2025 “maybe the most important year in Tesla’s history.”It is rumored that Tesla has expressed interest in securing the project in Austin, with city officials and other interested parties discussing its potential. However, there has been no announcement from the city’s press office.
Musk’s intriguing statement, “Then, you know, put a few more toes in the water, then put a foot in the water, with the safety of the general public and those in the car as a top priority”, implies that Tesla has been testing its FSD software in a controlled environment, a location with fewer challenges. As the safety of pedestrians and cyclists remains a crucial issue, Musk acknowledges Tesla’s ambition to surpass human drivers by striving to achieve safety levels that are significantly higher than those of regular drivers. He emphasized “looking for a safety level that is significantly above the average human driver.”
Shortcomings:
Tesla’s “Vehicle Safety Report” has been available on the company’s website for years, it displays the distance covered by Autopilot, and its less capable driver assistance software and shows the gap between Autopilot and human-driven cars. There exist numerous shortcomings in this comparison of both, as autopilot driving activities are primarily conducted on highways, not surface roads. Tesla fails to provide any information on the conditions or severity of these crashes.
Although the State Transportation Commission has announced that self-driving Teslas could be available in Austin by June to transport passengers, it’s unclear how many. Until then, the focus is on Tesla’s progress and whether it’ll lead to another missed deadline or revolutionize urban mobility.