Just last year, it seemed like the dream of self-driving cars could happen at any moment.
And then there were accidents and even the loss of life in the self-driving testing arena on America's streets.
Now, Elon Musk and Tesla have pulled the plug, and the marketing, on its Self-Driving option.
Three years ago, Musk claimed that Tesla’s vehicles would be ready and able to completely drive themselves without any human interaction by 2017. Two years ago, Musk announced every car made going forward would have the hardware necessary to facilitate this goal. Tesla has spent the years since advertising this impending breakthrough on its website as an easy add-on to the purchase of a new car, something that only required a few thousand dollars and a little bit of patience.
Tesla's claims lead to confusion and trouble with regulators, especially since the cars cannot drive themselves in most situations.
A Washington Post reporter pointed out how drivers could be confused by these claims:
