Major electric car companies, including Tesla, are preparing to launch fully autonomous vehicles by the end of this year. The company has been developing this technology for the past few years. Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, was unable to fulfill his previous timeline of bringing fully autonomous self-driving vehicles before this.
During a conference on artificial intelligence in Shanghai, Musk said in his address through a video link, “I think we are very close to achieving fully self-driving without human supervision. I believe that vehicles of this kind can be launched by the end of this year.” He acknowledged that his previous estimation regarding the timeline for launching this technology was incorrect. Musk stated, “I think this time we have come closer compared to before.” China is the largest market for Tesla. The company recently announced that it will establish another major factory in Shanghai.
In the second quarter, Tesla’s vehicle deliveries increased by 83 percent. The company has reduced vehicle prices several times in recent months. Additionally, manufacturing capacity has been increased. Between April and June, Tesla sold 466,140 vehicles worldwide. During the same period last year, Tesla sold 254,695 units. The Model Y crossover and the entry-level sedan Model 3 accounted for approximately 96 percent of total deliveries in the company’s second quarter. Tesla produced 479,700 vehicles between April and June. In the first half of this year, it sold nearly nine lakh vehicles. The company sold 422,875 units in the first quarter.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Musk during his visit to the United States and encouraged him to invest in India. Prior to this, senior executives of Tesla had met with officials of the central government regarding setting up a factory in the country. After the meeting with Modi, Musk stated that he is very enthusiastic about India’s future. He mentioned that India has more potential compared to any other major country in the world.
