Elon Musk Pushes Back Tesla Level 4 Self-Driving Target Yet Again

Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk now expects the electric vehicle maker to achieve full self-driving capabilities next year, electrek.com reported on Sunday, citing the billionaire entrepreneur’s interaction with reporters during his visit to Brazil.

What Happened: The world’s richest man said Tesla will have self-driving cars without the need for human drivers behind the wheel and without supervision “around this time next year.”

Musk had late last year said that he believes the electric vehicle maker is likely to achieve the full self-driving level 4 system in 2022.

The 50-year-old entrepreneur arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday and announced a project to bring internet access to schools in the Amazon and improve satellite monitoring of the rainforest. 

Tesla did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

See Also: Elon Musk Says Don't Underestimate Value Of Autonomous Vehicles As Tesla Raises FSD Price To $12,000

Why It Matters: This is not the first time that Musk has pushed back the timeline to achieve full-self driving. 

Tesla first started testing out the FSD in beta in late 2020 among a select group of customers, with the software priced at $8,000 at the time. 

There are five levels of automation under standards created by SAE International. A Level 4 system implies the vehicle can handle all aspects of driving without human intervention. Tesla is currently at Level 2.

Austin, Texas-based Tesla has switched to strictly cameras and stopped using radar sensors. 

Germany’s Mercedes-Benz Group DMLRY in December said it has secured Level 3 autonomous driving that will let drivers take their hands off the steering wheel in slow-moving traffic.

Price Action: Tesla closed 6.4% lower at $663.9 on Friday. The stock is down 44.7% YTD.