Tesla has unveiled the Cybercab, a smaller two-seater Cybertruck, surprising expectations of a robotaxi prototype with a lineup of 20 vehicles
On Thursday, the Warner Bros. Discovery studio hosted the extravagant “We, Robot” event.
Musk approached a robotaxi, which opened its gullwing doors, and conducted a brief demonstration of its capabilities on the well-maintained streets of the Hollywood studio prior to arriving on stage.
Musk reiterated his previous assertion that the cost of autonomous transportation will be so low that it will be comparable to “individualized mass transit.”
He expressed his conviction that the Cybercab’s average operating cost would be approximately $0.20 per mile as time progressed.
Musk stated, “And you will be able to purchase one,” indicating that the vehicle’s price would be below $30,000.
Musk also stated that Tesla is anticipated to commence “unsupervised FSD in Texas and California next year” with the Model 3 and Model Y.
He acknowledged that he is overly optimistic about the timelines, but he anticipates that the Cybercab will be in production by 2026 or “before 2027.”
When Musk announced that attendees would have the opportunity to test the Cybercabs themselves at the event, there was a resounding round of applause from the audience.
“They have approximately 20 of them driving around the entire lot unsupervised,” stated a participant in the event to TechCrunch.
Musk also stated that the robotaxi lacks a plug-in adapter and instead utilizes “inductive charging,” which is a form of wireless charging.
Robovan and Optimus
Tesla unveiled a surprise Robovan at the event, a sleek-looking autonomous bus that can convey goods and accommodate up to 20 passengers. There was no indication of a timeline for this vehicle; only a suggestion of a future that could “alter the appearance of the roads.”
Musk also unveiled approximately twelve Optimus humanoid robots, expressing his aspiration for a future in which robots serve as companions and assistants for a nominal fee of approximately $20,000 to $30,000. At the event, the bots were observed strolling among the humans, dancing in a manner reminiscent of go-go dancers, and even mixing drinks.
They also appeared to be conversing with the visitors and were capable of assuming various voice personas and accents upon command. Although it is unclear whether those capabilities, as well as the machines’ movements, were being remotely controlled by a human.
Context and History of Robotaxi
Tesla had intended to unveil its Robotaxi or Cybercab in August; however, the unveiling was postponed upon the executive’s request for a “important design change to the front end.”
The Robotaxi unveiling is a component of Tesla’s initiative to pursue autonomy to the fullest this year, following a shift from prioritizing the production of a $25,000 EV and the severance of 10% of the workforce, which included the majority of the charging team.
But Musk’s vision of an autonomous driving future has been in play for years, and it is a significant factor in the fact that investors value Tesla’s stock as a technology company rather than an automaker.
The Cybercab prototype is one half of the business concept Musk has proposed since at least 2019, which involves the operation of a Tesla ride-hail app by the automaker’s own fleet of dedicated robotaxis. This concept was hinted at during Tesla’s first quarter investor call.
Musk has compared the other half of the strategy to Uber or Airbnb. Tesla owners will be able to add their properly equipped vehicles to Tesla’s ride-hailing app to earn extra money when the cars are not in use. Tesla will retain 25% to 30% of the revenue, which is comparable to Apple’s App Store take rate.
Musk also stated that Tesla anticipated that robotaxi journeys would be less expensive than public transportation; however, he did not specify the date by which this would occur.
During Tesla’s 2019 Autonomy Day, Musk declared, “By the middle of next year, we will have over one million Tesla cars on the road with Full Self-Driving hardware, feature-complete, at a reliability level that we would consider to be so high that no one needs to pay attention, meaning you could go to sleep.”
“From our perspective, we anticipate that there will be over one million robotaxis on the road in the next year, possibly one year and three months.
The fleet receives an over-the-air update upon waking up. That is all that is required. That, of course, did not transpire by 2020.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, which is currently installed in hundreds of thousands of vehicles, exclusively utilizes cameras to perceive its surroundings.
The software is not yet entirely self-driving, despite its name, according to industry experts, who attribute this to the vision-only approach.
Although FSD is capable of performing numerous automated driving duties, it still necessitates a human driver to remain attentive and assume responsibility in the event of an emergency.
It is also unclear whether the technology in current Teslas is sufficient to achieve the fully autonomous future that Musk has been predicting for years.
According to Musk’s July post on X, the nearly fivefold increase in parameter count required to fuel Tesla’s next-generation AI is “extremely challenging to accomplish without upgrading the vehicle inference computer.”
In any case, Tesla will be required to establish the safety case in order to commercialize Level 4 autonomous driving, which entails the vehicle’s ability to operate autonomously under specific circumstances without the need for a human operator.
Tesla has been the subject of numerous federal investigations in connection with fatal accidents that occurred while Autopilot, Tesla’s lower-level advanced driver assistance system, was operational.
Tesla would be required to demonstrate that its vehicles are capable of successfully pulling themselves over in most other states, despite the fact that California has the most stringent permitting process for autonomous vehicle testing and deployment.
Secondly, the Cybercab’s absence of pedals and steering wheels would render it noncompliant with federal vehicle safety regulations.
GM’s Cruise had previously attempted to bring its purpose-built robotaxi, the Origin, to production. However, the project was ultimately abandoned due to the failure to obtain the requisite approvals from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.
