- Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has predicted that driverless cars will be a reality within three years. Although he admits creating a car that would be autonomous in all situations is “incredibly hard”, he aims to include an autopilot feature that would allow the vehicle to steer itself for most of the journey. Famous for turning impossibility into profitability, Musk has significant experience and weight within the motor industry thanks to the success of Tesla Motors as well as his other ventures including PayPal and SpaceX. His prediction is a direct challenge to the rest of the industry to catch up or lose out.
-I just drove 12 hours earlier this week and while I would have gladly used an auto-pilot feature for much of it, I cannot see myself relinquishing control during the mountain passes. There are certain situations where I think it will be very difficult to not be behind the wheel and in control.
What do you think?
I'm surprised it's taken this long, really. I know that creating a truly reliable driving platform must be immensely complicated, but Google, DARPA and NICTA (in Australia) have been co-operating on this work for the better part of a decade. I'm sure I recall reading something about a successful coast-to-coast trial back in 2007. Several of my friends are in their mid-30s and still haven't received their driver's licences. They're bound to be pleased with this news.