Elon Musk Promises Full Self-Driving Within One Year (original) (raw)

Another empty promise, or the real deal?

Published May 26, 2022, 2:34 PM EDT

Gerhard started his career in automotive journalism in 2010, after finishing degrees in Communication, English, and Politics, and diplomas in Film and Art Appreciation and Graphic Design. He's currently a senior editor with experience in local and global coverage, and more than 1,000 test cars driven. He started his career at CarBuzz in January 2021.

Base Trim Transmission

Automatic

Base Trim Drivetrain

All-Wheel Drive

Base Trim Horsepower

600 HP

Base Trim Torque

521 lb.-ft.

Base Trim Battery Type

Lithium ion battery

Make

Tesla

Model

Cybertruck

Segment

Full-Size Pickup Truck

Available Years

2026 Tesla Cybertruck, 2025 Tesla Cybertruck, 2024 Tesla Cybertruck

While we respect Elon Musk's contribution to the automotive world, we feel it fair to say that he has a poor record when concerning deadlines. Last year we ran an opinion piece on most of the empty promises and failures, for which he seems to get a free pass all the time.

The latest missed deadline is the Tesla Cybertruck. We were promised deliveries would begin in 2021, which didn't happen. And then, earlier this year, Tesla quietly removed the Cybertruck's delivery date from the website.

Electrek is reporting that Musk recently told reporters in Brazil that Tesla will have self-driving cars around this time next year. These cars would need no supervision, which means no human behind the wheel.

Considering this is not the first time Musk made this promise, it's hard to believe. Musk previously promised one million robotaxis on the road by 2020, and we've yet to see a single one.

Instead, Tesla made Full Self-Driving Beta available to some customers, a far cry from a self-driving car that does not require intervention. And as we've seen many times before, Full Self-Driving can't be trusted. It has to be said that Tesla is using the Beta version to make constant updates, but nowhere near enough where any sane person would take their eyes off the road for a second.

One amateur politician is so tired of Full Self-Driving that he's basing his entire political career on hating Tesla, which is the other extreme.

There's no doubt that Tesla is far ahead when it comes to so-called self-driving. But at the same time, we can't help but notice how many prominent manufacturers gave up on the concept.

The feds are constantly breathing down Tesla's neck, and Audi's lawyers have made it quite clear that you'll never be able to sleep in an autonomous car. To date, Mercedes-Benz is the only manufacturer to take responsibility for its autonomous features, but only at speeds below 40 mph.

If full self-driving without supervision is miraculously achieved, don't expect the government to agree to it immediately. Just from a responsibility point of view, full self-driving is a legal minefield.