Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CTO JB Straubel says that self-driving vehicles are inevitable and they’re already here. In an interview at the Global Climate and Energy Project Symposium in Stanford, Straubel spoke about autonomous vehicles. He called the idea transformational and said that all the technology needed to make them a reality is already available. The interview was picked up by Katie Fehrenbacher at Gigaom.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is the unimpeded leader of technology growth in the automobile market. The company’s safety systems and electric car drive train have both garnered huge praise. Another tech company seems to be the leader in self driving cars right now, however. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been experimenting self-driving cars for years, and they’re able to put them on the road in some states.
Tesla self driving cars
Straubel spoke not just about cars that can run themselves, but cars that are able to make most of the mundane decisions for their drivers. He thinks that safety systems are some of the most important. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has made great strides in developing safety systems to protect passengers. The company’s Model S safety systems were instrumental in the recent incident with the recent viral fire.
Straubel says that the technology to make all of this happen is already around, but car companies have been slow to change. He highlighted the use of systems like these in ships and planes for support. Even tractors in the United States are able to drive themselves in certain situations.
Safety is still the biggest use for these technologies. “People drivers are probably the least trained of all the different vehicle operators. If there is one place that it would be most relevant it would be in a car,” Straubel told the symposium.
Tesla moves forward
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has implemented a huge level of safety technology in its vehicles, but the company doesn’t seem to have a plan to create a car that can drive itself just yet. If a company does seek to bring a self-driving car that works to market, Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) would be on the list of contenders.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is going to continue to drive technology in cars. The next premium Tesla may have a great deal of automation, and that would cause a revolution in the industry.
