BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Tesla CEO Elon Musk said today that he aims to have self-driving technology ready by the end of the year and to release it widely in the United States and even Europe.
Musk said today at an energy conference in Norway that he is currently focused on two things: SpaceX’s Starship and the self-driving Tesla electric car.
I’m currently focused on two technologies that I hope to complete by the end of this year,” he said. The first is to put our ‘Starship’ into orbit, and then to enable Tesla cars to drive themselves.”
Musk added: “The self-driving technology will have to be widely rolled out at least in the U.S. and potentially to Europe (by the end of the year), depending on regulatory approval.”
“Starship is SpaceX’s next-generation launch vehicle, with the ultimate goal of replacing the current workhorse Falcon 9 for cargo missions and eventually carrying astronauts to the moon and Mars. The Starship is scheduled for its first orbital launch in 2022.
Earlier today, Musk also said that the world must continue to extract oil and gas to sustain civilization, while also developing sustainable energy sources. He said, “The truth is, we’re going to need oil and gas in the short term, or civilization will collapse.”
When asked if Norway should continue to drill for oil and gas, Musk said, “I think some additional exploration is necessary at this time. One of the biggest challenges facing the world today is: the transition to sustainable energy and a sustainable economy. That will take decades to accomplish.”
