It’s no secret that Tesla has been hard at work developing self-driving cars, but we haven’t heard much about when we can expect a fully autonomous Tesla model to be complete. Now, CEO Elon Musk has finally put a timeline on it, predicting that Tesla will have a truly self-driving car within the next two years. What’s more, he thinks it’ll be possible to call your car and it will be able to meet you—even if you’re on the opposite coast.
Musk says Tesla owners will be able to use ‘Summon,’ the self-parking feature that received an update over the weekend, to call for their car no matter where they are. In an interview with Fortune, Musk said things are bound to make Tesla fanatics everywhere go nuts. “Ultimately you’ll be able to summon your car anywhere… your car can get to you,” he said. “I think that within two years, you’ll be able to summon your car from across the country.” Musk reiterated that vision on Twitter, writing that Tesla’s “summon should work anywhere connected by land & not blocked by border, eg you’re in LA and the car is in NY.”
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Of course, not even a Tesla will be able to drive across the country on a single charge. Musk has said the company will releasea 600-mile range electric car sometime next year, but even a model like that would require a number of recharging stops to make it from coast to coast. That’s where those self-connecting robot snake chargers we’ve been teased with may come in, making it possible for an autonomous Tesla to pull into a charging station, get hooked up to a Supercharger, and get back on the road – without any human assistance.
Indeed, the desire to make Tesla models drive themselves is so strong that some people have already attempted it. The day after Tesla released its limited Autopilot features, a trio of Tesla owners hit the road in a shiny red Model S and drove from California to New York City in just under 58 hours. The car didn’t drive itself, but they put the newly imbued Autopilot capabilities through the wringer, using it to coast along the highway, change lanes, and adjust the car’s speed along the trip.
Via The Verge
Images via Tesla Motors
