Tesla's AI and Self-Driving Cars - Will we see Full Autonomy in 2025?

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The Road So Far: Tesla’s Autonomous Driving Growth

Tesla is into artificial intelligence for autonomy which they have put into practice via their custom designed Dojo supercomputer and proprietary neural networks. Other companies which use LiDAR and HD mapping do not – Tesla which has instead dedicated to a vision based system that uses cameras and machine learning to interpret the environment as it happens.

The firm has made great progress in its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta features which now include automatic lane change, self-parking, traffic aware cruise control, and highway navigation. While we have seen great improvement in these areas the goal of Level 5 autonomy – which is the vehicle doing all the work without human input – still eludes us.

Tesla to hit full autonomy in 2025?

While Tesla CEO Elon Musk reports to have said full autonomy is always just over the horizon – what the public may think of as very near term in nature – at the technical and regulatory level it’s still a far out proposition. Regulatory issues, very rare but very critical edge cases and also ethical issues which don’t always play out in the boardroom are making this a hard problem. Also we see that Musk’s timeline for autonomy has been extremely aggressive which in turn has set public expectation very high which in turn has made what was a complex issue even more so. We are still at the beginning of this technology’s development.

That which we have said aside, Tesla’s development pace is what no one else comes close to. They are running into the billions of real world miles which they put on their fleet to in turn feed into their AI which they use to constantly learn and improve. If any automaker has achieved or is in the process of achieving full autonomy at scale, Tesla is the front runner.

Tesla’s AI and Data Role

Tesla’s foray into artificial intelligence based perception and decision making is a key element of their approach to autonomy. They have large data sets which they use to train their AI models in what to expect from the like of construction zones, aggressive drivers, or unexpected road hazards.

Tesla has put out the Dojo supercomputer which in turn improves training capabilities, we see also that they are integrated vertically (hardware – software) which plays to their advantage in the auto pilot vehicle development space.

For more in depth look at Tesla’s innovation, strategy, and market position see the in depth Tesla Company Profile which includes SWOT, PESTLE, and Value Chain Analysis.

Challenges Ahead

Although it has come a long way Tesla is still at issue with several barriers which it must overcome on the road to full autonomy:

• Regulatory Approvals: In each country and we see that they have their own safety and compliance standards which at present many are in the process of adapting to semi autonomous technology.
   
• Public Trust & Safety: Persuading the public to accept full autonomy in cars is still a large issue.
   
• Technology Gaps: Extreme weather events, complex urban settings, and system interpretability are issues at present.
   

What the Future Holds

As into 2025 we go Tesla is to expand FSD features which may include full autonomy in controlled settings (for example what we see in geofenced areas or with traffic on highways). At the same time it is also true that we may have to wait several more years for what we see as universal Level 5 autonomy to play out which in large part is dependent on technology breaks through and regulatory approval.

Still Tesla’s drive and rate of innovation put them on track to bring about a large scale change which in turn will be game changing for the industry.

Stay Informed with Market Insights

For the present which reports and forecasts on Tesla and the EV/autonomous vehicle field we have the Quaintel Research Market Report. See how Tesla is playing out in the future of mobility with in depth strategic insight.