In recent weeks, we have seen how Elon Musk sent encouraging messages about the enormous development that his autonomous driving system was undergoing. So much so that it indicated that this year they will have the basic functionality for Level 5. Something that has unleashed harsh criticism from leading experts in the sector.
A few weeks ago the consulting firm Navigant Research, now known as Guidehouse Insights, released a report on the current development situation of autonomous driving. A list of 18 companies where Tesla was in the queue far behind the significant references, like Waymo, Argo AI, and Cruise, but was even below smaller companies like May Mobility, Voyage Auto and Navya.
Sam Abuelsamid, the principal analyst at Guidehouse Insights and author of the report, says that Tesla will not reach Level 5 any time soon, but also adds that it will not do so with the vehicles it is currently manufacturing.
According to Abuelsamid, “Cars that are made by Tesla will never reach Level 5, period. It has no sense. (Elon Musk) should shut up until I can deliver something.”
And it is that with the current technology that the Tesla assembles, based mainly on its 8 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 1 frontal radar, the system of the North American manufacturer has shown that over time its performance has even worsened with updates. An aid to driving with significant problems in motorway areas with the poorly painted road, with automatic braking in places such as shaded spaces or when overtaking large vehicles, to which can be added not reading traffic signs to adapt the speed correctly, especially in those areas that have undergone a recent renovation.
A current situation that makes experts think that it will be very difficult or directly impossible to achieve a level 5 of autonomous driving in a scenario where, as we remember, the vehicle will have the ability to move without the help, supervision, and even the presence of a person.
We can place a situation within Elon Musk’s ads, which creates great expectations, but at the same time, there are no specific dates for its launch. Some somewhat ethereal statements do not indicate whether the current cars will be able to evolve. The system is described at the time of its acquisition, or it will be necessary to make a physical change in the vehicle itself. Something inaccessible for a Model 3 volume model beyond the computer shift in some of the first generation units.