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Despite being unable to introduce the Model X or Model 3 on schedule, Tesla founder Elon Musk predicted that Tesla would be a leader in self-driving cars, and that human driven cars would be outlawed. Naturally, he had to walk that back.
- Musk backtracks on self-driving car comments.
- Over 2000 unsold Teslas are sitting in China.
- A service for buying used cars in China is gaining traction among investors – used cars have traditionally been a smaller part of the market than new cars.
- “Peak car”? Think again. Driving among Americans has actually increased.
- Nissan GT-R tops “most expensive to insure” list.
18 Comments on “While You Were Sleeping: March 18th, 2015...”
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I think Elon’s got a headache, must be from that big foot stuck in his mouth
Could be from all the pattern clashing hurting his eyes.
@calvin
+1
I wasn’t sleeping. I was just resting my eyes.
he is just saying what Apple want him to say. oh wait I forgot it’s not for sale
Musk sells cars driven by people, so his comments were pretty stupid on the surface.
I do agree that one day the notion of a human behind the wheel will be considered very dangerous and expensive. Maybe even outlawed, as he put it. Safety can only go so far with humans making the decisions. The next big step in safety will take humans out of the equation.
That being said, there will always be places for enthusiasts to drive “manually”.
“That being said, there will always be places for enthusiasts to drive “manually”.
Where? Like little fenced-in go-cart tracks that you go to on the weekends to drive real cars? I can hardly wait
Me either
Killer photo. Musk looks like he just had a fender-bender with that taxi and knows he was at fault.
It’s a metaphor for his grandiose pronouncements being spun by media sponsored in large part by the auto industry (no constituent of which currently offers anything close to an automated car).
Musk just has it backwards. Self-driving cars will be outlawed.
“Have you been injured or injured/killed somebody while riding in an autonomous car? Even if you were driving, the law offices of Jerry Stetson can help you get that cash settlement you deserve!”
Musk was a great front man for Tesla during its formative years (though I despise the guy).
Now it’s time for somebody that actually knows the car business to buy Tesla, or it will go away, and it won’t be pretty when it does.
I agree that its days are numbered as the majors catch up on the EV front. Toyota seemed interested in the company for a while, but seems to be shying away now. I see the Model S from time to time right now, there’s a Leaf on every bloody street corner, and even the still-new i3 outnumbers Teslas in the EV-tax credit haven of Atlanta.
Where I live I have yet to see any EV BUT Teslas; no Leaf, no Volt and no i3 on the roads. I live between Philadelphia and Baltimore, so it seems the Volt and the Leaf both should be more prevalent… but they’re not.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen three different Tesla Model S cars in the last week alone. I know they’re different because I saw their license plates in each case and they were all different. (One red and two black).
In the largely affluent areas of metro Boston that I frequent, I see probably at least twice, and probably three times as many Teslas as LEAFs. which doesn’t surprise me. You have to be a VERY dedicated, and perhaps somewhat short-sighted enviro to buy a LEAF, what with the range that is equivalent to the range I have left in my ICE car when I refill the tank. The money spent on the LEAF would probably mitigate more global warming if invested in home energy efficiency.
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/117-a296/
Whereas to buy a Tesla you just have to be wealthy and gadget-driven, although if you’re also enviro, that’s icing on the cake.
A) Must did NOT ‘backtrack’; he never outright stated that self-driven cars WILL be illegal. The term he used was ‘may’.
B) I agree with that sentiment. With all the nanny systems on cars today, there appears a high likelihood that self-driven cars WILL become mandatory on US streets and highways–in 50 years or so. Most of us will be long retired or dead by then, so it won’t matter to us. The average person using cars by then simply won’t want to be bothered by such a mundane task as driving. Sure, there will be enthusiasts, but I’ll bet the majority even of those will do much as today’s bikers and stay off the main throughways, taking less-traveled roads for their fun and letting the nannies handle the everyday commute.
Then again, maybe riding a bike will be safer in 50 years just because you won’t have idiots behind the wheels of cars who for some reason simply can’t see a bike right in front of their bumper.
Self-driving as a means of doing routine trips, getting back and forth to work, etc. that’s all fine. Preferably not in those Tesla behemoths that clog up the freeway – something to consider, Mr. Musk. Otherwise, enjoy ‘manual drive’ on all other trips I’d say.
Elon has apparently not driven into the wilds of even nearby eastern california, where many a street driven truck/suv are taken well back offroad to camp where roads are not always marked all that well nor is there a destination address for your autonomous car to even attempt to get to.
Nor has he been a ranch hand/Owner that has to traverse large expanses of non-public back roads, again with no address destination (i.e. lost calf, greeley, co –> can’t compute please enter valid address)
Autonomous vehicles are welcome by me for commuting and such. They are not and can not be a substitute for many many americans for a long time coming, if ever.