Musk has promised the US electric car pioneer’s long-awaited self-driving model by the end of the year. He is focused on launching a spacecraft into orbit and making Tesla cars self-driving by the end of 2022, Musk said at a conference in Stavanger, Norway on Monday.
He hopes for approval from the authorities to roll out the technology in the USA and Europe. Musk wanted to bring robotic taxis to the streets as early as 2020. In April he had given the year 2024 as the date for the start of series production.
But Tesla’s automated driving capabilities, already available in Tesla vehicles, have been implicated in several accidents in the United States that are being investigated by authorities. This caused political controversy over the approval process. According to data from the beginning of the year, more than 1,400 automated test vehicles from around 80 companies were on the roads in the USA.
Musk also confirmed that a decision should be made by the end of the year on where the fifth Tesla factory will be built. Tesla currently operates four plants – two in the US, one in China and one in Germany. There have been hints about the location of the next plant for some time. Recently, there have been indications that the factory could be built in Canada. After a recently published application from Tesla to the authorities, the carmaker is lobbying the Ontario government for this. According to a report by the online specialist medium Electrek in June, Musk had named Canada, the USA and Mexico as candidates at an event in front of employees.
Source: Nachrichten
