鈥淚 Think We Will Be Feature-complete
Tesla drivers will be able to safely go to sleep behind the wheel of a car and wake up at their destination within two years, according to Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO and co-founder said the brand鈥檚 autonomous technology will be complete by the end of 2019, and safe to operate without any human observation before 2020 is over. 鈥淚 think we will be feature-complete, full self-driving this year,鈥?said Musk. 鈥淢eaning the car will be able to find you in a parking lot, pick you up, take you all the way to your destination without intervention this year. Musk said he foresaw disagreements between Tesla and regulators as to when the firm鈥檚 autonomous technologies will be safe to use. 鈥淲hen will regulators allow us even to have these features turned on even with a human oversight? 鈥?he asked rhetorically. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a variable which we have limited control over; when will regulators agree that these things can be done without human oversight? Musk then went on to make his comments about drivers falling asleep behind the wheel, saying: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I would think it鈥檚 most likely it will be safe enough for that. Musk added that federal regulators in China and the USA are usually quite open to accepting Tesla鈥檚 new technologies, while European authorities can be 鈥渁 little conservative in this regard鈥? What do you think of Elon Musks claim about Tesla drivers being able to sleep behind the wheel?
The driver's wrist can rest comfortably on the rest above the center tunnel console. The menu structure is intuitively logical and flat like on a smartphone, including freely configurable favorites and start screens. When the driver enters a term via the free text search function, the system already begins making suggestions after the first few letters are entered. Information on destinations and media is either stored on board or delivered from the cloud at LTE speed. In addition to operation by the two touch displays, the driver can activate a host of functions using natural language voice control. The system understands freely worded commands and search queries. The dialog manager asks questions if necessary, allows corrections, offers choices and also defers to the speaker when interrupted. Furthermore, the Amazon voice-activated assistant Alexa is making its Audi debut here. Drivers can use Alexa to get news, weather information and current sports scores.
They can also order groceries or add items to their to-do list. Alexa streams music and audio books via Amazon Music and Audible, and provides access to a wide choice of Alexa skills. The Smart Home control system can be used to lock doors in the house, adjust the lights and close the garage door directly from inside the car - all with a short voice command or a question. Audi has seamlessly integrated the Amazon voice service into the MMI system of the Audi e-tron. Drivers don't need an app on their smartphone to use it, nor do they have to pair their phone with the car. All they have to do is link the car to their Amazon account. They can then activate the service via the onboard voice control system. The digital display and operating concept in the Audi e-tron is rounded off by the standard Audi virtual cockpit. Its display benefits from the very high resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels - full HD - and new e-tron-specific graphics.
These visualize every key aspect of electric driving, from charging power to range. The driver can choose between two display modes via the multifunction steering wheel. In the classic view, the powermeter and speedometer are presented as large dials; in the infotainment mode, they appear smaller and the focus is on the navigation map. Customers who select the optional Audi virtual cockpit plus can call up an additional view that puts the powermeter right in the center. The head-up display complements the displays as an option. It projects key information directly onto the windshield so that it appears to float roughly 2.3 meters (7.5 ft) in front of the driver. The Audi e-tron offers comprehensive infotainment and is very well connected. Numerous assist systems support the driver and enhance comfort, as do the optional and flexibly bookable equipment and functions. For the first time, Audi customers can add functions as needed even after purchasing their Audi e-tron. On the German market, the Audi e-tron is supplied with MMI navigation plus as standard. The top-end media center supports the high-speed data transmission standard LTE Advanced with integrated Wi-Fi hotspot for the passengers' mobile devices.