To dream a Tesla dream

I SWEAR Elon Musk is always doing something that makes me believe more and more he is either not from this earth, or he’s Iron Man.

He’s one of those people who have it in them to always try out any idea they have – even if it sounds ridiculous or impossible.

It also helps that he is a billionaire, giving him all the resources necessary to pump funds into all the things he can think of.

What I like about him is that he has ideas that are fuelled by what seems to be a passion to improve the world and speed up its exhilaration towards type-one classification (according to the Kardashev Scale).

He’s willing to take risks and do things that sometimes seem to be straight out of a science fiction novel.

This type of ingenuity, whether or not he succeeds all the time, is the exact direction our minds should be going in if we as a species are to evolve.

I recently read an article about Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric car company, sending out beta versions of a new auto-pilot system for his cars for customers to test.

Tesla has been tinkering with this technology since 2015, but has this year put out an update that a select few have been given the chance to try out.

Now, although they’re being touted as ‘fully self-driving’ by the company, Tesla drivers have been told explicitly they must still be seated behind the steering wheel with both hands on it and their eyes on the road.

It seems this version of the surely complicated concept is still exploring ways in which they can assist drivers and carry some of the load.

We may be quite a while away from having actually fully automated cars that communicate with each other using artificial intelligence and navigate the city effectively, but it is still nice for one to dream, so I thought I would have a bit of fun and think of some things I would do if I ever owned a self-driving vehicle.

The first thing I would use my self-driving car for is to ensure I get an extra hour of sleep every day.

I would wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face and get ready.

Then I would get into my car, switch on the engine, enter my destination, and go back to sleep till I’ve arrived.

Another crucial thing that is hard to do when you have to control your car, is eating.

I always have one hand on the steering wheel and another one occupied with a sandwich or a chicken wing, or a kind of cooldrink.

I need my other hand free so I can really dig in.

Being inside a self-driving car would also be a social time for me.

I would use this as an opportunity to make all the phone calls I need to make, type up all the documents I need to type, do a bit of work here and there, tweet, post content on Instagram, and probably even read the news.

Lastly, not having my hands occupied while I’m driving would mean I would be able to practise self-care at all times.

Lip gloss not shiny enough?

That’s okay, you don’t have to look at the road, you can look in the mirror and fix anything that needs to be fixed.

Struggling with a button?

Slow down and take as much time as you need to do it properly.

It’s kind of a shame that I may not live long enough to see all of this become a reality.

But it’s nice to dream, hey?