The inconvenience of standing in endless lines at the DMV to renew your driver's license may become an unnecessary fact of life in the future, at least according to high tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Speaking at the NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California, this week, Musk--the CEO of TESLA Motors --claimed that advances in sensor and software technology would make an automobile's on-board computer system more reliable at maneuvering a vehicle than a human being, who is more prone to distractions and driver errors as well as other ailments. "In the distant future," Musk said at the tech conference, "they may outlaw driven cars because they are too dangerous."
Musk knows about what he speaks. Not only is the South African-born futurist, engineer, inventor and investor the founder of TESLA, he is also the CEO and CTO of SpaceX as well as the chairman of SolarCity. Forbes magazine lists his net worth at around $11 Billion US.
Although Silicone Valley-based TESLA is a leader in hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles, the company certainly has some competition in the burgeoning market. Both Apple and Google are currently developing their own autonomous, driver-less cars, as are auto manufacturing giants Audi, Mercedes and BMW. Musk also made assurances that automated cars would be secured against any hacking of vehicle controls from outside, malicious forces, which has been a primary concern with driver-less automobiles.
The idea of "sleeping behind the wheel" does have its own appeal (especially when driving to work at five o'clock in the morning), but autonomous cars seem like they would take the enjoyment and freedom out of driving down the road on a hot summer day, windows down, with no particular place to go...
Speaking at the NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California, this week, Musk--the CEO of TESLA Motors --claimed that advances in sensor and software technology would make an automobile's on-board computer system more reliable at maneuvering a vehicle than a human being, who is more prone to distractions and driver errors as well as other ailments. "In the distant future," Musk said at the tech conference, "they may outlaw driven cars because they are too dangerous."
Musk knows about what he speaks. Not only is the South African-born futurist, engineer, inventor and investor the founder of TESLA, he is also the CEO and CTO of SpaceX as well as the chairman of SolarCity. Forbes magazine lists his net worth at around $11 Billion US.
Although Silicone Valley-based TESLA is a leader in hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles, the company certainly has some competition in the burgeoning market. Both Apple and Google are currently developing their own autonomous, driver-less cars, as are auto manufacturing giants Audi, Mercedes and BMW. Musk also made assurances that automated cars would be secured against any hacking of vehicle controls from outside, malicious forces, which has been a primary concern with driver-less automobiles.
The idea of "sleeping behind the wheel" does have its own appeal (especially when driving to work at five o'clock in the morning), but autonomous cars seem like they would take the enjoyment and freedom out of driving down the road on a hot summer day, windows down, with no particular place to go...