Elon Musk “Certain” Tesla’s Fully-Autonomous Systems Will Be Ready This Year

Elon Musk claims that Tesla will have the technology for fully-autonomous vehicles ready by the end of the year. Whether it will actually be deployed, though, is a more complicated matter.

Musk made the statement on a recent podcast with a financial firm that owns shares in Tesla, according to Fortune. And while he seemed sure that the company should have the technology available for its vehicles to drive themselves, he did say the introduction of such systems might be delayed by regulatory hurdles.

“The car will be able to find you in a parking lot, pick you up and take you all the way to your destination without an intervention. I would say I am of certain of that. That is not a question mark,” Musk stated.

“My guess as to when we would think it is safe for somebody to essentially fall asleep and wake up at their destination? Probably towards the end of next year. That is when I think it would be safe enough for that,” the outspoken exec said.

While Tesla asserts that fully-self driving vehicles are just around the corner, it’s worth noting has been wrong in the past. The automaker once promised to show off its most advanced Autopilot features with a coast-to-coast drive across the United States back in 2016. However, such a journey has yet to take place, and since sticking to self-imposed time constraints isn’t something they’re famous for ($35k Model 3, anyone?), we’d take that with a bucket pinch of salt.

Anyway, Tesla recently announced that it’s not actually testing any fully-autonomous vehicles in its home state of California. This comes despite the fact that dozens of automakers and technology companies are testing autonomous prototypes in the Sunny State, including Waymo, Apple, and GM, yet Musk’s company hasn’t even applied for a license, as it relies on owners’ data and simulations to develop its own tech.