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February 20, 2019 by Steve Hanley
Credit: ARK Invest via Twitter
Elon Musk met with Tasha Keeney and Cathie Wood of ARK Invest on Feb. 19 for a podcast session focused on Tesla's autopilot technology and Musk's ability to drive cars without human interaction.
ARK Invest is a financial management company whose declared mission is to identify "disruptive innovations in public markets", according to its website. "We are looking for a global universe covering various sectors and market capitalisations to offer investment solutions that are not highly correlated with traditional index strategies, because we believe that innovation is the key to growth." Currently, about 8% of the ARK portfolio is invested in Tesla. The group's target price for long-term equities is very aggressive, at $ 4,000 per share.
"I think we'll be complete – in autonomous driving – this year," Musk said in a podcast interview. "This means that the car will be able to find you in a car park, pick you up and drive you to your destination without intervention this year. I would say that I am sure of it. This is not a question mark. However, people sometimes extrapolate to say that it now means that it works with absolute certainty, requires no observation, to perfection. This is not the case. "
In other words, it speaks of level 4 and not level 5 autonomy, which assumes that the car can do everything that a human driver can do in all conditions. According to Musk, there are still a few years to reach this goal. It depends on certain factors over which Tesla has no direct control, such as state and federal regulators. "In my opinion, when do you think it's safe for someone to fall asleep and wake up at their destination?" Probably by the end of next year. It's at that moment that I think it would be safe enough for that.
Autonomous cars are today the holy grail for most automakers, as well as Waymo, Google's autonomous arm (eg, Alphabet). What makes Tesla so sure of being able to track all these heavyweights? "If Tesla is making rapid progress, it's because we have a lot more data and their numbers are growing exponentially." With each new Tesla, his board computer starts sending data back to Tesla, where Engineers can use them to check the autopilot functionality and compare the upgrades that are going on with the real-world experience.
Musk has repeatedly stated that autopilot is already safer than a human driver and that it will only improve with time. "No matter how you cut the data, it's unequivocal that it's safer to turn on the autopilot." Finally, Musk told Tasha and Cathi: "People sometimes think that I'm like a businessman, a financier or something like that, I'm an engineer, I'm doing engineering, I I've always done it. "He seems to have worked quite well for him so far.
About the author
Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and wherever the singularity could lead him. His motto is: "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the number of breathtaking moments!" You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.
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