Jon McNeill, who used to work at Tesla and Lyft and now leads DVx Ventures, talked last week at the World Business Forum about what he calls the “Tesla innovation method,” which focuses on simplifying things dramatically.
After his talk, McNeill discussed Tesla’s goals for self-driving cars and its latest robotaxi with TechCrunch.
About Tesla’s Robotaxi
Tesla introduced a driver assistance feature called Autopilot in 2015, which has focused heavily on automation for nearly ten years. McNeill, like many others, was surprised by the recent reveal of Tesla’s robotaxi prototypes. Instead of groundbreaking features, Tesla showcased only 20 prototypes, which left some people disappointed. McNeill expected Tesla to share detailed plans to boost confidence in its future products.
The Difference in Automation Levels
Currently, Tesla’s automation is rated at Level 2, meaning it can assist with driving but still needs a human to oversee everything. In contrast, competitors like Waymo and Cruise are at Level 4, where cars can drive themselves in specific conditions without human supervision.
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Why Only Vision?
McNeill also addressed Tesla’s strategy of relying solely on cameras for self-driving, without using lidar (a technology that helps detect objects using lasers). While using only cameras may seem simpler, it may lead to difficulties since cameras can struggle in bad weather, low light, or other challenging conditions. He expressed concern that relying only on vision could be dangerous since cameras don’t always capture everything, and he questioned whether being equipped with many cameras would genuinely solve the driving challenges we face.
Considering Lidar Again
Despite Tesla’s long-standing commitment to their vision-only approach, McNeill suggested that it wouldn’t be unreasonable for them to consider incorporating lidar technology again, especially since the costs have significantly decreased. Tesla has promised that all cars sold in the past would eventually have the necessary hardware for full self-driving, and they’ve had to scale back on those promises as technology evolves.
Challenges for New EV Startups
McNeill pointed out the struggles new electric vehicle (EV) startups face, noting failures like Fisker and troubles for companies like Rivian. He emphasized that successfully building cars from scratch is very challenging, requiring strong leadership. Reflecting on his disappointment with Tesla’s robotaxi presentation, he noted that producing a prototype is easy, but mass production is incredibly tough. The car industry has high fixed costs, and if a product doesn’t sell well, it can be very unforgiving.
