Tesla’s fully autonomous car makes its first appearance
It's arrived Elon Musk and Tesla have been dropping hints about their fully autonomous self-driving cars for some time now, and yesterday they made an appearance.
Key takeaways
- Elon Musk and Tesla have been dropping hints about their fully autonomous self-driving cars for some time now, and yesterday they made an appearance.
- Elon Musk's company said that full self-driving Autopilot won't be available until it has undergone millions of miles of road testing.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'Tesla’s fully autonomous car makes its first appearance', 311 Institute, 20 October. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/teslas-fully-autonomous-car-makes-an-appearance/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
It's arrived
Elon Musk and Tesla have been dropping hints about their fully autonomous self-driving cars for some time now, and yesterday they made an appearance.
In the video they released we can see the car driving around town, complete with the obligatory human driver as demanded by the NHSTA's current regulations just in case something goes awry, looking for parking spots and even managing to courteously avoid parking in disabled bays.
For those of you still dreaming, dare we say longing for, a hands free commute, though don't expect your own Tesla to drop you off and park itself anytime soon. Elon Musk's company said that full self-driving Autopilot won't be available until it has undergone millions of miles of road testing. And like Google, Ford and everyone else developing driverless vehicles, Tesla must wait for government regulators to figure out what's legal on the road.
What this means for your organisation
Demonstrations outpace delivery.
The car drives itself in a video, yet a human driver sits aboard and the feature is not available. Millions of miles of road testing must come first. Leaders should separate what they are shown from what they could buy.
Regulators hold the gate.
Tesla, like Google and Ford, must wait for government regulators to decide what is legal on the road. No amount of engineering removes that step. Fleet and transport planners should track rule changes as the main timing signal.
Everyday tasks matter.
The car looks for parking spots and avoids disabled bays, which are ordinary but socially important behaviours. Trust will be won on these details, not on headline speed. Firms deploying autonomous systems should test the mundane cases carefully.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Are we planning around demonstrations or around products we can buy?
- Which regulatory decisions set the timing for our autonomy plans?
- Which everyday behaviours would decide whether our customers trust automation?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
It's arrived Elon Musk and Tesla have been dropping hints about their fully autonomous self-driving cars for some time now, and yesterday they made an appearance.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 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." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist 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 programme, 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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Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 20 October 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). Tesla’s fully autonomous car makes its first appearance. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/teslas-fully-autonomous-car-makes-an-appearance/
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