Tesla focuses on carsharing service in addition to new vehicle development
Elon Musk has revealed his second ‘master plan’ for Tesla. In it, he announces that the company will focus on large electric vehicles, including buses and trucks. In addition, it wants to offer a carsharing service and there are plans for solar panels on roofs.
According to Musk, Tesla currently only offers products in small segments of the consumer market with its vehicles. This offering should be complemented by the recently announced Model 3, a compact SUV and a pickup. Beyond the consumer offering, Tesla also wants to focus on electric buses and trucks, which should reduce the costs of transport and emphasize safety. Both vehicles are already in an early stage of development and can probably be presented next year.
Once fully self-driving cars are approved by regulators, Tesla also wants to make it possible to make one’s own vehicle available to others. Other users could then call up the car via an app. For example, a car can generate income for the owner, which should provide a solution for the fact that it is only used on five to ten percent of the day. In major cities, Tesla also wants to offer its own vehicles in addition to existing cars.
The third point of the plan focuses on developing solar panels and integrated batteries. These should “look great” and “just work,” Musk said. Tesla wants to take over the company SolarCity for this purpose, as has been known for some time. The fourth point of the plan is about improving the autonomous function of Tesla vehicles. For example, the company wants to develop a system that continues to work if components fail.
Musk estimates that fully self-driving cars will only be approved after they have traveled a total of ten billion kilometers. The ‘learning process’ of the Tesla vehicles is currently happening at five million kilometers per day. Musk emphasizes that it is therefore not wise to want to disable the autopilot system, which some have called for. He also discusses the beta label of this feature, explaining that this was chosen to “reduce complacency” and indicate that the system is still being improved. This label will disappear once the system is ten times safer than the US average in accidents involving normal human-driven vehicles.
The Tesla Model 3