Elon Musk has announced that the models Tesla were “very close” to reaching level 5, a driving 100% self-sufficient.
© Tesla
According to Elon Musk, the models of Tesla would be close to reaching level 5 of autonomy. Indeed, during the opening of the World Conference of Artificial Intelligence (WAIC) in Shanghai, the CEO of the american brand said that : ” I am extremely confident that the level 5, or the full autonomy will be achieved and I think he will be very quickly. I remain convinced that we will have the basic functionality for the autonomy of level 5 by the end of the year “.
Level 5 of the autonomous control is the final stage, which corresponds to the autonomy of the most complete : the vehicle is able to move to 100% without the intervention of a driver, on all types of roads as possible, and is able to take decisions by itself in the event of a problem. The occupant of the car is then fully released in order to devote themselves to its activities : work, leisure, or entertainment, and within the car, the presence of elements such as the steering wheel or pedals is no longer necessary.
To reach such a level of autonomy is a challenge for automotive engineers all over the world : brands like Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Waymo (Google) or even Uber, have invested billions of dollars for the development of autonomous vehicles. On the side of Tesla, we are already dreaming of putting into circulation a fleet of robotaxis, which would transport passengers without the need of driver.
But for the moment, Tesla proposed his system of driving assistance called ” Autopilot “, the latest development has recently seen its price go from 6300 € to 7500 €, an increase justified by the appearance of new features. Even if the car is equipped with sensors and cameras capable of monitoring its environment, this appellation of “the Ability to conduct fully autonomous” remains misleading to its customers, since the models of the brand still require for the moment the supervision of a driver, placing them at level 2 of the autonomous control.
Eventually, when Tesla will be able to become 100% self-sustaining, the price of the option Autopilot could reach $ 100,000, according to Elon Musk… is still to obtain the necessary authorizations for putting into circulation of such vehicles, and to convince the general public of the reliability and security of this technology.
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