Tesla’s Autonomous Driving Plans Get a Reality Check from One of Its Co-Founders
Martin Eberhard, one of the co-founders of Tesla, has expressed his reservations about autonomous vehicles, stating that they were not part of the company's original mission when he co-founded it in 2003.
Eberhard believes that autonomous driving requires a much larger budget than the one Tesla had when he was working there, and he is not a fan of the technology, citing safety concerns.
Eberhard's comments stand in contrast to Elon Musk's vision for Tesla, as the current CEO has made autonomous driving a top priority and promised to put fully autonomous cars on the road.
Eberhard left Tesla in 2007, before the company had released its first car, and at the time, the primary focus was on making the car work, rather than developing autonomous driving technology.
Eberhard disagrees with Musk's approach to making cars a software platform, citing his experiences with iPhone software updates, which often have bugs and can be dangerous when they affect a vehicle's brakes or steering.
Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist program and Full Self-Driving beta feature are popular among Tesla owners, and the company continues to work on autonomous driving technology.
Both Autopilot and Full Self-Driving require a licensed driver to monitor the system at all times, and Tesla's AI system collects driver data to improve the technology.
Despite their differences, Eberhard acknowledges Musk's significant contributions to Tesla, and Musk retroactively became a co-founder in a 2009 lawsuit settlement.
Eberhard's comments suggest that the development of autonomous driving technology is not for everyone and highlight the potential risks associated with making cars a software platform
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