Tesla CEO Elon Musk asserted that self-driving vehicles will reach a level of reliability by late 2020 allowing occupants to sleep during trips, according to a 2019 report. Musk stated that passengers could "essentially fall asleep and wake up at their destination," though he did not specify when such technology would gain regulatory approval for public roads.
The executive described a scenario where vehicles would autonomously locate users in parking lots, transport them to destinations, and handle complex navigation tasks. Current Tesla models already support highway driving but lack capabilities for urban environments, the report noted.
Google's Waymo division, however, cautioned that human oversight would remain necessary for decades. John Trafcik, Waymo's chief, emphasized that full autonomy faces significant technical and regulatory challenges before widespread adoption.
