Elon Musk would work with Google regarding “autopilot” systems in cars

Main Point:

Elon Musk, CEO Tesla Motors Inc and the California-based billionaire is planning to work on the driverless technology about the vehicles and has discussed about this technology with Google.

Study Further:

Musk thinks of the driverless technology as the airplane’s autopilot system.

“I like the word autopilot more than I like the word self- driving,” Musk said in an interview. “Self-driving sounds like it’s going to do something you don’t want it to do. Autopilot is a good thing to have in planes, and we should have it in cars.”

Google is already working on driverless cars. However, the driverless cars would not reach the dealer showrooms within the next ten years, according to Nissan Motor Co. and government officials. On the other hand, Anthony Levandowski, product manager for Google’s self-driving car project, said that the company would release the technology within the next five years.

Musk said that the present thinking of Google is expensive.

“The problem with Google’s current approach is that the sensor system is too expensive,” Musk said. “It’s better to have an optical system, basically cameras with software that is able to figure out what’s going on just by looking at things.”

“We’ve had some technical discussions with Google” about its Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, laser tracking system, Musk said last week. He noted that it’s an expensive approach that would not work effectively.

“I think Tesla will most likely develop its own autopilot system for the car, as I think it should be camera-based, not Lidar-based,” Musk said in an e-mail. “However, it is also possible that we do something jointly with Google.”

Source:

Bloomberg