The Tesla electric car. Google's self-driving car. What if you could turn these two geek dreams into one? According to Bloomberg, the idea is not that far-fetched, since Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is already "discussing" it with Google.
According to the report, Musk is "considering" using Google's self-driving technology, though he prefers to call it "autopilot."
“I like the word autopilot more than I like the word self- driving. Self-driving sounds like it’s going to do something you don’t want it to do. Autopilot is a good thing to have in planes, and we should have it in cars,” Musk told Bloomberg.
Musk sees some problems with Google's approach; namely, he thinks Google's LIDAR (laser radar)-based sensor system is too expensive, and considers and optical system (cameras) to be a better option. Though he doesn't dismiss the possibility of developing an autopilot jointly with Google, he thinks Tesla will "most likely" develop its own system.
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In a tweet, Musk downplayed the importance of his remarks about self-driving cars and Google, calling them "off-the-cuff". "Creating an autopilot for cars at Tesla is an important, but not yet top priority. Still a few years from production," he tweeted.
Am a fan of Larry, Sergey & Google in general, but self-driving cars comments to Bloomberg were just off-the-cuff. No big announcement here— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2013
Creating an autopilot for cars at Tesla is an important, but not yet top priority. Still a few years from production.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 7, 2013
So there you have it, folks -- although Tesla's electric cars and Google's self-driving tech seem like a natural fit, we'll still have to wait a while before we see Tesla cars driving themselves. One can always hope, though.