Dubai buys 200 self-driving Teslas to complete the world’s first autonomous transportation network
Dubai's government have now got everything they need to create the world's first, full end to end autonomous transportation network
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Griffin, M. (2017) 'Dubai buys 200 self-driving Teslas to complete the world’s first autonomous transportation network', 311 Institute, 25 February. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/dubai-buys-200-self-driving-teslas-to-complete-the-worlds-first-autonomous-transportation-network/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
A little over a year ago Dubai Future’s Foundation and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced they were committed to seeing at least 25% of all of the kingdom’s journeys become autonomous by 2030, and ever since they’ve been investing heavily to build out the world’s first truly autonomous end to end autonomous transportation network that includes the world’s first Hyperloop network, a Mach 1.0 train, and the world’s first autonomous sky taxi service which will start service this coming July.
Now, to complete the next part of the jigsaw puzzle they’ve just announced that they’ve signed a contract with Tesla for 200 self-driving Model S and Model X “limousines.”
Once delivered the cars will be integrated into the Dubai Taxi Corporation's fleet, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk inked the deal with the RTA at the World Government Summit in Dubai earlier this week on the same day his company began selling its electric cars in Dubai, which marks its first foray into the Middle East.
While the new vehicles won’t be self-driving straight off the bat they’ll have all the hardware they need, and once Tesla have fully tested and approved their autonomous software, which looks set to happen within the next three months, the cars will have their firmware updated to enable full autonomy.
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Dubai's government have now got everything they need to create the world's first, full end to end autonomous transportation network
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Roads and Transport Authority rta.ae
- Dubai Taxi Corporation's dubaitaxi.ae
- selling its electric cars in Dubai businessinsider.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 25 February 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Dubai buys 200 self-driving Teslas to complete the world’s first autonomous transportation network. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/dubai-buys-200-self-driving-teslas-to-complete-the-worlds-first-autonomous-transportation-network/
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