Tesla CEO Elon Musk Says Self-Driving Cars Could Cause Heavy Traffic

Taking to his Twitter account recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has admitted that self-driving cars are likely to make traffic worse. In his tweet, the 50-year-old business magnate claims that people will not experience the physical feel of driving with the advent of self-driving cars. As a result, autonomous driving could amplify traffic to uncontrollable levels. To recall, the German Gigafactory of the electric vehicle manufacturer gained the approval of local officials on March 4.

However, a report by Reuters suggests that the EV company will be required to meet multiple conditions from the region’s environmental groups. To recall, these environmental groups had expressed opposition citing the factory’s impact on wildlife and its water use. However, Musk clarified that the factory will be using “relatively little” water. As far as the forest is concerned, Musk claims it was cleared even before the plant’s construction started.

In the meantime, Tesla is hard at works on a legitimate full self-driving system. However, the company’s chief executive is already is discussing issues that the arrival of autonomous driving could cause. In a comment on Twitter, Musk said that self-driving cars are highly likely to make traffic worse. Furthermore, he explained that people will not feel the physical need to drive anymore, leading to “insane levels” of traffic.

Elon Musk Warns Self-Driving Cars Could Amplify Traffic

Aside from that, it is unclear whether more electric vehicles on road could lead to more accidents in the future. To recall, a Tesla Model 3 led to an accident on the highway earlier this month. Unfortunately, the 74-year-old driver of the electric car died. Nevertheless, self-driving cars are likely to simplify and expedite travel. Moreover, it will provide mobility to people who are not able to independently drive a vehicle. On the downside, this will lead to more cars on the road.

As a result, there will be more traffic. However, self-driving cars could minimize phantom traffic jams. For those who are unaware, phantom traffic jams allude to the slow-up of traffic without any reason. Moreover, it is usually a result of drivers braking too late. Likewise, bad drivers who do not pay attention to the road could cause instant congestion. However, systems like FSD Beta and self-driving vehicles are capable of following road rules, minimizing the chances of phantom traffic jams.

Nevertheless, Musk may be right with his prediction that more EVs on the road will cause more traffic. However, the advent of electric cars could also reduce congestion due to human errors since EV users will rely more on self-driving systems.