Elon Musk Wants To Tackle Traffic Woes With Self-Driving Vehicles

No one likes being stuck in traffic. I live in the Midwest, so a traffic jam means I might take an extra 10 minutes to get to my destination. However, in larger cities, a short distance can take a very long time to travel, especially during rush hour. Tesla's CEO Elon Musk thinks he has the answer to this problem, however.

At a recent transport conference in Norway, the man behind Tesla claimed that autonomous vehicles are the key to easing traffic congestion. "We have an idea for something which is not exactly a bus but would solve the density problem for inner city situations," he said. He only briefly touched on the subject, saying "I don't want to talk too much about it. I have to be careful what I say."

There are plenty of reasons why Musk might not want to let too much information out of the bag just yet. However, it's clear that he's wanting to work on some form of autonomous public transportation.

"I very much agree with solving the high-density urban transport problem," Musk said. "There's a new type of car or vehicle that would be great for that and that'll actually take people to their final destination and not just the bus stop."

Perhaps he's thinking of a network of autonomous vehicles that can deliver people from one location to another. Something like a taxi, or an Uber, without the need for a driver. Maybe something the size of a Smart Car, with just enough room for a passenger or two, with a bit of room for some luggage, or groceries.

Whatever Elon Musk is planning, he's keeping a tight lid on it. We'll have to wait until he's ready to unveil his plans before we're able to make anything more of his cryptic statements.

VIA: Bloomberg