“I just took my first ride without a driver. It was a little freaky but amazing.”
That was a text I received from a friend who rode in a full self-driving car in LA a few weeks ago. Their takeaway – “freaky but amazing” – has been the consensus from everyone I know who has taken a ride in a driverless car.
I know the feeling. I have a Tesla that can drive itself. I don’t even have to keep my hands on the wheel.
And yes, it was weird at first. But I use full self-driving a lot now, especially if I’m driving long distances late at night, which I often do on weekends. I just put in my address, and the car drives me home.
Full self-driving is not just a novelty. It’s soon going to be everywhere, and it will change transportation as we know it.
Full self-driving cars will give mobility to those who are not able to drive, such as the elderly. They will improve traffic flow and decrease accidents, as nearly all crashes are caused by human error. Full self-driving cars don’t get drunk, check their text messages, or get distracted by a fight with their crazy ex who just won’t let it go.
This will be as disruptive of a technology as the internet was three decades ago. Costs of insurance, shipping, and transportation will decline.
And of course, there will be money to be made – not just for the companies that provide the technology for full self-driving cars, but also for all the ancillary products and services that will benefit from the industry.
Think about how UPS’ business changed after Amazon and other retailers began selling everything you could think of online.
I’m not exaggerating when I say it will be revolutionary.
The Next Frontier
Right now, I have to be paying attention when my car is in full self-driving mode. The full self-driving technology will turn off if I’m not looking out the windshield or if I have my eyes closed.
But that’s not the case for robotaxis.
The day will come in the future when you can watch a movie, read a book, write an article… all while driving into town.
That day will be here sooner than you think. In fact, Tesla’s robotaxi service is scheduled to launch in Austin, Texas, this Sunday.
These fully self-driving Teslas could soon be taking over… and it could happen even quicker than Uber burst onto the scene just a few short years ago.
This is unfolding at a speed nobody could have predicted. And it will have a more profound impact than you could imagine.
Insiders are calling this potentially the largest and most valuable AI project in the world.
Tesla’s training engine will allow these vehicles to have more driving knowledge from real-world experience than any human driver on Earth. Whatever one car experiences helps improve every single car in the fleet.
Once this technology is fully rolled out, I believe it could create trillions in new wealth and – most importantly – save countless lives.
In short, this isn’t just another Silicon Valley P.R. spin campaign.
It’s the culmination of years of strategic development. And it’s now reaching critical mass.