Overwatch enthusiast Elon Musk unveiled Tesla Motor’s Master plan yesterday, outlining his vision for Tesla and SolarCity, a company of which he is chairman and recently expressed an interest in acquiring.
Musk says Tesla wants to focus on selling integrated energy generation and storage, as well as expand the use of autonomous driving technology in trucks and buses. He also envisions a future where Tesla owners are able to share their vehicles with others in order to continue earning money when they aren’t personally using the vehicle.
In terms of SolarCity, Musk wants to utilize the company’s technology to create an integrated solar-roof-with-battery product. The two companies, according to Musk’ vision, will combine forces to create a singular product, combining the batteries being build at Tesla’s Gigafactory with SolarCity’s expertise in solar power.
When it comes to specific products, Tesla says it has plans to move beyond its current Model S, Model X and Model 3, revealing early plans for a compact SUV as well as a “new kind of pickup truck.” Musk also discussed plans for electric buses, which already exist today and something called a “Tesla Semi” that will reportedly result in a “substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport.”
When it comes to autonomous driving, Musk says Tesla’s Autopilot system will move out of beta when the system is “10 times safer than the U.S. vehicle average.”
Tesla Master Plan, Part Deuxhttps://t.co/XQeTlsoEdE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2016
Additionally, Tesla shared specific plans related to its vision for the future of vehicle sharing.
“When true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere,” writes Musk in the post. Tesla owners will be able to add their vehicles to a “Tesla shared fleet” that allows autonomous vehicles to give rides to the general public. If the system is used enough, according to Musk, Tesla vehicles will essentially pay for themselves.
While an impressive vision for the future of Tesla and transportation, many of Musk’s far-reaching ideas are decades away from real-world implementation. Tesla’s last master plan was released back in 2006.
Image credit: Flickr — Steve Jurvetson
[source]Tesla[/source]
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