Tesla’s most important product this year and next year is not a car, but software that supports autonomous driving and robots. Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted that autonomous driving software will become Tesla’s most important profit point.
Tesla released its 2021 financial report. Tesla’s financial report pointed out that fully autonomous driving capability (FSD) is still one of its key areas. And over time, software revenue will contribute to overall profitability to a greater extent.
It is reported that up to now, Tesla’s FSD beta software has released seven updates, with nearly 60,000 test vehicles in the United States. In addition, Elon Musk said that there will be no cheap Tesla models this year, because self-driving cars and humanoid robots are more important than developing electric pickup trucks or electric vehicles that cost $25,000 each, he said.
However, Reuters also pointed out that even if its self-driving technology is successful, Tesla’s fully self-driving electric vehicles will still face strict supervision by the US government before they are free to hit the road. U.S. auto safety regulators have launched an investigation into the safety of Tesla’s assisted driving system after multiple crashes.
In addition, CJ Moore, a former Tesla self-driving engineer, also told the California Department of Motor Vehicles last year that Musk’s comments about self-driving technology do not match the engineering reality.
Tesla’s current Level 2 Autopilot system is understood to require drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel, but Musk has said for years that he believes Tesla will soon release a so-called Level 5 Autopilot feature that operates without human intervention.
In addition to autonomous driving, Elon Musk said engineers are developing a humanoid robot called Optimus, which is expected to launch next year. The robot could eventually solve global labor shortages and soon be able to transport items around factories.
I think over time, this has the potential to be more important than the auto business, he said. However, Raj Rajkumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, said: To perform dangerous and repetitive tasks, using a humanoid robot is simply the wrong way.