Tesla will have all needed self-driving tech by end of 2019, CEO says

Tesla will have all the self-driving technology needed for cars by the end of the year, according to a recent statement by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

An employee drives a Tesla Model S electric automobile equipped with Autopilot hardware and software, hands-free on a highway in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Monday, Oct. 27, 2015. [File Photo: VCG]

"I think we will be feature complete — full self-driving — this year," Musk said during a live streaming podcast, "Meaning the car will be able to find you in a parking lot, pick you up, and take you all the way to your destination without an intervention, this year. I would say I am of certain of that. That is not a question mark."

Tesla has been a pioneer in the automobile self-driving technology field for years and the statement is in line with previous comments Musk made on Tesla's fourth-quarter earnings call.

Musk added that it doesn't mean that self-driving technology will allow the vehicle to operate perfectly. Although the technology will be developed by the end of the year, the time when it will be used by customers depends on regulations and policy.