Tesla’s Elon Musk said on Monday that he plans to get self-driving technology worldwide release. In addition to the US, possibly in Europe once the regulatory approvals are done. Musk was speaking at an energy conference, saying that his focus was on SpaceX Starship spacecraft and self-driving Tesla electric cars.
“The two technologies I am focused on, trying to ideally get done before the end of the year, are getting our Starship into orbit … and then having Tesla cars to be able to do self-driving. “Have self-driving in wide release at least in the U.S., and … potentially in Europe, depending on regulatory approval,” Musk told the audience. Earlier, Musk said the world must continue to extract oil and gas in order to sustain civilization, while also developing sustainable sources of energy.
“Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise, civilization will crumble,” Musk told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. Asked if Norway should continue to drill for oil and gas, Musk said: “I think some additional exploration is warranted at this time. One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy,” he said. “That will take some decades to complete.”
Sustainability
He said offshore wind power generation in the North Sea, combined with stationary battery packs, could become a key source of energy. “It could provide a strong, sustainable energy source in winter,” he said.
Tesla’s FSD wide release has proven elusive for years, though Musk has maintained his optimism about the technology. Tesla’s FSD Beta program has so far been successful, however, which bodes for the technology as a whole. Tesla’s FSD Beta fleet now numbers about 100,000 drivers, after all, and so far, the system has been tested on public roads without any issues. This is despite aggressive Tesla critics looking for the smallest chance to get FSD taken off the roads.
A notable sign of Tesla’s increasing confidence in FSD lies in the company’s cease-and-desist letter to Dan O’Dowd of Green Hills Software and The Dawn Project. O’Dowd has targeted Tesla and its FSD program in an aggressive campaign, claiming that the technology is a danger to people. While Tesla typically does not fight back against attacks such as these, the company has initiated efforts to stop O’Dowd’s anti-FSD campaign. In its cease-and-desist letter, Tesla highlighted that O’Dowd’s defamatory actions are actually putting consumers at risk.
