Tesla cars will be semi-autonomous in three years

Elon Musk, the Chairman and CEO of Tesla Motors, has made it clear that self-driving cars aren’t one of the automaker’s top priorities. Rather, the electric car manufacturer wants to focus on cars with semi-autonomous auto-pilot systems that assist drivers and allow them to cede control for short amounts of time.

Speaking with Nikkei in Japan, Musk said that Tesla plans to incorporate some advanced auto-pilot technology into its much-anticipated $35,000 Model 3 when the car goes on sale in about three years or so. The system and software will be developed by Tesla itself, but will use sensors and sub-components from other companies.

Tesla’s current line-up of electric cars will be getting some form of auto-pilot technology in the near future, as Tesla is very keen on updating its current models with new features. However, in the case of the Model S and the upcoming Model X, each would have to be equipped with new hardware or have the technology included in a revision.

“I think in the long term, all Tesla cars will have auto-pilot capability,” Musk told the Nikkei. He also believes that fully autonomous driving, a technology that Google has gained a lot of attention for developing, is a given. “Full auto-pilot capability is going to happen, probably, in the five- or six-year time frame,” Musk said.

Read more about the story at Nikkei.