Tesla’s Musk Says Next-Gen Small Car Will be Autonomous

Tesla Chief Executive, Elon Musk on Tuesday said that the next generation small car the company is working on would operate mostly in autonomous mode, similar to a promise he made in 2020.

On Tuesday he said there was a clear path to delivering a car that cost half as much to build as Tesla's Model 3 sedan, but he offered no details about timing or models.

At the 2020 event, Musk said he was "confident" that Tesla Inc would make a small, compelling $25,000 electric car that was fully autonomous, within about three years.

While self-driving cars hold a lot of promise for the future, there are still several challenges that current self-driven cars have encountered, including:

Safety concerns:

One of the biggest challenges facing self-driving cars is ensuring their safety on the road. While autonomous vehicles are designed to be safer than human-driven cars, there have been several accidents involving self-driving cars, some of which have resulted in fatalities. Safety regulations and standards are still being developed to ensure that self-driving cars are safe for all road users.

Limited driving capabilities: Current self-driving cars have limitations in terms of their driving capabilities. For example, they may not be able to drive in certain weather conditions, such as heavy rain or snow, or on roads that are poorly marked or under construction. They also may not be able to navigate certain obstacles or situations, such as emergency vehicles or construction zones.

Legal and regulatory challenges: The development and deployment of self-driving cars are still a relatively new field, and as a result, there are many legal and regulatory challenges that must be addressed. For example, it is not always clear who is liable in the event of an accident involving a self-driving car. There are also questions about how self-driving cars will be regulated and how they will be integrated into existing transportation systems.

Cybersecurity risks: Self-driving cars rely heavily on software and data to operate, which means they are vulnerable to cybersecurity risks such as hacking and data breaches. If a self-driving car is hacked, it could potentially be controlled remotely or used for malicious purposes.

Cost and infrastructure challenges: Developing and deploying self-driving cars is expensive, and there are also infrastructure challenges to consider, such as building and maintaining the necessary road infrastructure to support autonomous vehicles. Additionally, self-driving cars may be more expensive than traditional cars, which could limit their adoption by consumers. -Reuters

March 08, 2023