According to Reuters, which references an email discussion between Tesla (NASDAQ:$TSLA) and the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Tesla has been developing a long-distance all-electric semi-truck that is fully autonomous, and capable of travelling in convoy formations. As the emails detail, it seems that the automaker is incredibly close to test runs with prototypes.
This is further confirmed by Jessica Gonzalez, spokeswoman for the California DMV, as she states that California officials will be meeting with Tesla on Wednesday “to talk about Tesla’s efforts with autonomous trucks.”
The consistency of these events support the notion that Tesla is quickly advancing in their research, and could be integrating autonomous driving technology in the electric semi-truck it plans to promote in September. If this is the case, then it will join a competitive autonomous commercial transportation market that is also being pursued by Uber Technologies and Waymo of Alphabet (NASDAQ:$GOOGL).
Although innovations related to autonomy in their electric semi-trucks have yet to be announced to the public by either Tesla or Elon Musk, the CEO has insinuated possible surprises that will be revealed alongside the new vehicle in the fall. The automobile manufacturer has also heavily invested in improving its Autopilot technology, which, in the most recent earnings call, is something Musk has personally heavily invested his time in.
The idea that a convoy system can be so quickly achieved suggests that the requirements for autonomous driving aren’t much more sophisticated than the Autopilot systems found in Tesla Vehicles. That is, a lead vehicle can be driven by a single driver, with a legion of autonomous trucks following it, cutting down on human capital, improving overall efficiency.
Although Tesla has not yet applied for a testing license for the prototype vehicles, the company’s interaction with the Nevada and California DMVs imply the project is in its advanced stages.
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