Tesla (TSLA) and CEO Elon Musk finally introduced the electric vehicle manufacturer’s long-awaited driverless robotaxi on Thursday night, along with a surprise — a larger autonomous Robovan designed to transport a lot more people.
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After a nearly one-hour delay, attendees at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles were treated to an up-close look at two of the company’s most recent creations, a key strategic focus for the electric vehicle pioneer.
The robotaxi, also known as the “Cybercab,” was used to transport Musk. It had a front light bar resembling a Cybertruck, a small, angular profile, scissor-style doors and a simple interior. On the way to the event stage, the Cybercab seemed to maneuver through the closed-course lot of Warner Brothers Studios.
As might be expected, the Cybercab is entirely autonomous and does not have any pedals or steering wheels.
Musk stated, “We’ll move from supervised full self-driving to unsupervised full self-driving” which implies that if necessary, cars running the newest software won’t require human interaction.
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Musk stated that he anticipates, the small EV to come out before 2027, but no later than 2026 and to cost less than $30,000. Wireless induction technology—possibly utilizing mats or tracks on roadways—will be used to charge the Cybercab.
Next year, Tesla will begin testing unsupervised full self-driving (FSD) in Texas and California using test Model 3 and Model Y cars. More unsupervised FSD trials, according to Musk, will happen wherever regulators permit it.
Wall Street analysts predict that once the EVs are integrated with FSD and Tesla’s upcoming ridesharing mobility app, owners of the current fleet of Teslas on the road will be able to list those models on the company’s rideshare service. The analysts feel that would be a real game-changer and unlock a huge amount of value.
Many analysts had anticipated, that Tesla would unveil its upcoming less expensive “next-gen” model but they did not. However, as the automaker has previously indicated the Cybercab and the new passenger car may be effectively sharing the same chassis. Tesla has previously stated that the next-generation EV, priced under $30K, will be released later this year.
Tesla Unveils Robovan and Autonomous Robots
Tesla unveiled the Robovan, a much larger EV with retractable wheels and no windscreen, in an unexpected move. The broad light bars running the length of the front facade and the monolithic design of the Robovan were reminiscent of the science fiction film Blade Runner. Musk stated that the Robovan can accommodate up to 20 passengers or a sizable volume of cargo and that it can be customized for either personal or business use.
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At last, Musk unveiled a cluster of autonomous Optimus robots that entered the event area. Musk predicted that the robots would probably cost between $20,000 and $30,000 when they eventually go on sale in the coming years. He has previously made similar claims.
Musk claimed that the robots would interact with guests at the function and even bring them drinks from the bar.
Apart from interacting with the robots, attendees had the opportunity to take rides in the Cybercabs and drive autonomous Model 3 and Model Y EVs.
