How Tesla is Using Big Data: Benefits & Challenges of Big Data in Self Driving Cars
Tesla is leading the electric vehicle race by relying on big data, artificial intelligence and the internet of things to outsmart its competitors.
It also manufactures and sells advanced battery, software and solar panel technology. The company is also investing big to become the number one self driving company in the world. However it’s important to state that a fully autonomous vehicle won’t happen anytime soon. Self-driving cars rely on advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning technology.
The global market for self-driving cars is expected to grow by a CAGR of 36.2%, garnering a revenue of USD 173.15 billion by 2023.
As of today, Tesla’s autopilot technology is currently stuck at the partial automation level. Since artificial intelligence development is still in its infancy, Tesla is leveraging big data to take its electric vehicles to the next level.
A self-driving vehicle, also known as an autonomous car, driverless vehicle, or robo-car, is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and moving safely with little or no human input.
A human passenger is not required to take control of the vehicle at any time, nor is a human passenger required to be present in the vehicle at all.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) currently defines 6 levels of driving automation ranging from Level 0 (fully manual) to Level 5 (fully autonomous). These levels have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Tesla is at Level 2 currently. The ratio of driver interaction would need to be in the magnitude of 1 or 2 million miles per driver interaction to move into higher levels of automation.
Big data helps Tesla to reduce costs, identify market opportunities, satisfy customers, develop new products and improve its cars.
The new generation of autonomous self-driving cars, whether electric or not, are equipped with hundreds of sensors and surrounded by smart technologies.
Recent advances in the internet of things, smart cities and wireless communication enable these smart cars to communicate with the infrastructure and other smart cars.
Autonomous connected vehicles and their interaction with smart cities will increase the amount of data that is generated and shared. In addition, drivers carry a number of sensors on their smartphones and wearable devices.
Tesla effectively crowdsources its data from all of its vehicles as well as their drivers, with internal as well as external sensors which can pick up information about a driver’s hand placement on the instruments and how they are operating them. Tesla does everything from designing, developing, manufacturing to the selling of its vehicles that runs fully in electric batteries.
Beside car manufacturing, Tesla also has energy storage systems. Tesla has two different operational parts that are automotive, and energy generation and storage.
