Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a new electric vehicle dedicated to self-driving, a possible milestone after years of false promises and blown deadlines.
The robotaxi is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle, lacking a steering wheel or pedals, meaning it will need approval from regulators before going into production. The design was futuristic, with doors that open upward like butterfly wings and a small cabin with only enough space for two passengers. There was no steering wheel or pedals, nor was there a plug — Musk said the vehicle inductive charging to regain power wirelessly.
Musk said that autonomous cars are expected to be 10-20 times safer than human-driven vehicles
Musk said that autonomous cars are expected to be 10-20 times safer than human-driven vehicles and could cost as low as $0.20 per mile, compared to the $1 per mile for city buses.
Tesla plans to launch fully autonomous driving in Texas and California next year, with the Cybercab production by 2026 — although he said it could be as late as 2027. Additionally, Tesla is developing the Optimus robot, which could be available for $20,000-$30,000, and is capable of performing various tasks.
“This is a very big deal,” Musk said. “It’ll save lives, a lot of lives, and prevent injuries.”
Musk revealed the prototype robotaxi at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event held at the Warner Bros. film lot in Burbank, California, with a lot of non-public roads for the demonstration. Tesla has reportedly been mapping the area in advance of the demonstration, even though the company says it doesn’t rely on high-definition maps to power its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver-assist feature.
Musk is attempting to steer Tesla away from its core business of making and selling EVs toward one that produces robots and AI. Tesla’s market cap is equal to almost all the other global automaker’s value combined. Much of the company’s stock price is based on Musk’s yearslong promise to solve autonomy by releasing a truly revolutionary vehicle that can drive itself anywhere it wants.
Whether Tesla’s robotaxi will accomplish that steep task is anyone’s guess. Musk has a reputation for defying the odds, but AV experts have routinely questioned Tesla’s approach to the technology, especially with regard to the company’s aggressive push for Level 2 advanced driver-assist systems like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
Those features, which are not autonomous and require a driver to stay vigilant at all times, can be impressive but have also been known to make critical errors. Earlier this year, a 28-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a Tesla driver allegedly using FSD. Tesla has been forced to recall both of its driver-assist systems in the face of increased government scrutiny over the company’s autonomy claims.
But Musk has a track record of coming from behind to pull off impossible victories. The Model 3 production and the early success of the Cybertruck are two recent examples of Musk defying expectations.
“Think about the cumulative time that people spend in a car”
During the event, Musk pitched the idea of autonomous cars as primarily a time-saver. “Think about the cumulative time that people spend in a car,” he said, “and the time they will get back that they can now spend on their books or watching a movie or doing work or whatever.”
Still, Tesla is lagging behind companies like Waymo and Cruise, both of which have racked up millions of miles of on-road testing with their driverless vehicles. To be sure, robotaxis have had a bumpy rollout, with numerous incidents of blocked vehicles, traffic jams, and even a handful of injuries. Federal safety regulators are probing several major players to discern whether the technology powering these vehicles is safe or should be recalled.
The families of Tesla drivers who have been killed in crashes involving Autopilot have sued the company for wrongful death. And Musk’s tenure as head of X, formerly Twitter, has alienated many of Tesla’s progressive-leaning customers, who have watched in horror as he promotes right-wing conspiracy theories on the platform.
