By Zeina Shatila | Staff Writer
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, proudly launched the first Tesla autopilot in October of 2014. Indeed, Musk is creative, you might even say that he wakes up to a new idea every day. However, the concept of autonomous vehicles is way older than Elon Musk himself. The first application is approximately as old as him. The Stanford Cart is surely not a car you would ride in, but it is an intelligent design. Using complex programming and remote control, Stanford Cart became the first mobile robotic car in the early 1970s. Fast forward 4 to 5 decades, through image recognition, sensor-processors, adaptive algorithms, and various other advanced technologies, autonomous cars can fully drive themselves.
The global autonomous vehicles market has been growing at an accelerating rate. To understand the reasons, let us begin on an individual scale. Think, as you read, of why you would want a self-driving car. Personally, I would want a self-driving automobile because I will be able to do my homework on my way back home. On a larger scale, autonomous vehicles decrease driving errors and car crashes, improving road safety and reducing congestion. In addition, because self-driving cars require no input from the driver, seniors and disabled people will be granted their freedom in transportation. Lastly, sustainable driverless automobiles will have a positive environmental impact. Hence, the progressively expanding demand for driverless vehicles is logical and justifiable. The anticipated annual growth rate of the autonomous vehicles market is 22.7%. Therefore, this market is sized at $64.88 Billion by 2026, according to researchers. Having these attractive values, many international conglomerate companies, large automobile manufacturers, and technology companies are seizing the opportunity and striving to enter this market regardless of matching expertise. Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving car project, as subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., is currently “building the world’s most experienced driver.” Ford Motors promises a full-scale autonomous vehicle by 2022. Herbert Diess, CEO of Volkswagen, plots to beat the market leader, Tesla, with the VW self-driving car. Apple’s Project Titan is planning on launching its unique self-driving electric car by 2025.
Musk plans to revolutionize transportation in space, too. SpaceX is a space exploration company that aims to facilitate transportation in space to eventually colonize Mars.
Developing a self-driving car is a dream for many tech companies. Tesla’s competitive landscape is widening over the years. Not only is Tesla revolutionizing transportation, but also Apple and other companies. Soon enough, we will all be seated in passenger seats while our cars drive us to our desired destination.