Elon Musk's late and unfulfilled Tesla promises
Musk has described himself as pathologically optimistic, saying he does deliver in the end, "which is the important thing".
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Here are some of Musk's promises that were completed late, and others that are still pending:
FULL SELF-DRIVING TECHNOLOGY
Musk's most famous unfulfilled promise is Tesla's effort to create self-driving software. Musk initially spoke about self-driving capabilities in 2015, saying autonomous cars would be available within three years.
But he missed that deadline and has promised almost each year since 2020 that Tesla's vehicles would achieve full self-driving capabilities. In 2023, Musk called himself the "boy who cried FSD" - an admission of his missed targets.
Tesla has said it would release an "unsupervised" version of FSD, which presumably would not require human oversight, in California this year, without offering more information.
AFFORDABLE TESLA EV DELAYED
Musk first announced plans for a mass market, roughly $25,000 car in 2020 but offered no specifics about the vehicle at the time. Reuters exclusively reported last year that Tesla scrapped its plans for the low-cost car sometimes described as the Model 2.
Tesla subsequently said it would create affordable cars that would be built on current product lines, rather than the new vehicle previously envisioned. Musk said in April 2024 that Tesla would introduce the "new models" by early 2025.
Tesla has said the more-affordable models would start production in the first half of 2025, although Reuters reported exclusively last week that plans for an affordable Tesla, which include a stripped-down version of its best-selling Model Y SUV made in the U.S., would be delayed by months.
CYBERCAB ROLLOUT
Musk said in 2019 he was "very confident" Tesla would have operational robotaxis by 2020. In October 2024, he announced plans for a self-driving robotaxi, called a Cybercab, to go into production from 2026.
Cybercab production could be disrupted, Reuters reported, because Tesla has paused component imports from China after tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump jumped to 145%.
CYBERTRUCK
Musk introduced its Cybertruck pickup truck in 2019 and planned to start manufacturing around late 2021. Production actually started in 2023.
NEXT-GENERATION ROADSTER ELECTRIC SPORTS CAR
The company in late 2017 announced a new version of its Roadster would launch in 2020. In 2021, Musk pushed the launch of the Roadster to 2023, citing global supply chain bottlenecks. In 2023, he said Tesla hopes to start production of its long-delayed Roadster the following year.
Musk announced last year Tesla would aim to ship its long-delayed next-generation Roadster in 2025.
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