New York Post

Musk vision aims to put woes in rear view

- By JAMES COVERT jcovert@nypost.com

Elon Musk sees roads across America in the next decade filled with self-driving electric buses, electric heavy-duty trucks and a network of autonomous cars everyday owners will routinely loan out to make extra cash.

In a bold blog post late Wednesday, the visionary billionair­e and founder of electric-car maker Tesla Motors said the bus plan will ease congestion on the roads and the car-sharing program will cut the cost of Tesla cars — making them more affordable.

Musk’s ambitious plan, which is rolled out as part of Tesla’s “Master Plan, Part Deux,” also called for solar panels with batteries to store the energy.

“Add your car to the Tesla shared fleet just by tapping a button on the Tesla phone app and have it generate income for you while you’re at work or on vacation,” Musk wrote in the master plan.

Musk’s flashy, futuristic vision comes despite intense static from critics, who lately have blasted a surprise merger he has proposed of Tesla with SolarCity.

The solar panel maker was founded by his cousin, Lyndon Rive, raising concerns the deal is too cozy to be kosher.

In his master plan, Musk said the merger has long been planned and is necessary to carry out his vision

The rocketman also known for his SpaceX venture has taken heat following the death of a Model S driver in May who was killed by a truck in Florida while using the electric sedan’s “autopilot” feature and reportedly watching a “Harry Potter” movie.

Musk defended the feature without referring specifical­ly to the fatality.

Through computeriz­ed “fleet learning,” self-driving cars will eventually be 10 times as safe as manually driven ones, he claimed.

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