Elon Musk expects EVs will have 1000km range by 2017

I love Elon Musk’s predictions, they’re always so optimistic about the future of the world. The latest such statement regards electric autonomous vehicles, when we might expect them to become more of a mainstream thing, and just how good they will be.

During an interview with a Dutch publication, he said that we can expect electric cars to go 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) or more by 2017 on a single charge. That’s more than double of what such cars achieve today.

He also said that this progress depends mostly on battery technology, which he expects to constantly improve, meaning we can see an increase in the car’s range from 5 to 10 percent every year.

"My guess is that we could probably break 1,000km within a year or two. I’d say 2017 for sure... in 2020 I guess we could probably make a car go 1,200km. I think maybe 5-10 percent a year [improvement], something like that", he said.

To top things off, he said that by 2035 all new cars will not require a driver, and that the technology will roll out very soon, but the regulators around the world need to work faster.

The AutoPilot self-driving feature currently being beta tested by Tesla will be rolled-out to all compatible Model S vehicles by the end of October. "My guess for when we’ll have full autonomy is about three years, approximately three years".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.