Tesla made headlines recently with the unveiling of its highly anticipated robotaxi, the Cybercab. The event took place at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California, where Tesla CEO Elon Musk also surprised attendees with the debut of the Robovan, a van counterpart to the Cybercab.
Both vehicles are fully autonomous, lacking a steering wheel and pedals, and Musk confirmed that there are no planned changes to their designs before production. The Cybercab, a sleek two-door hatchback, is set to go into production by 2026 with a targeted starting price of under $30,000.
Musk stated that the Cybercab will cater to both private owners and fleet buyers, with the potential to significantly reduce the cost of travel to around 20 cents per mile per person in the long run. This cost is estimated to be much lower than the average cost of running a modern bus per passenger, which is currently at one dollar.
The Robovan, on the other hand, is capable of transporting up to 20 people and could potentially bring the cost per mile down to 5 to 10 cents per person. Tesla also showcased a video demonstrating the autonomous charging capabilities of the vehicles using inductive charging technology, as well as an autonomous cleaning station for their interiors.
Interestingly, Musk mentioned that the technology being developed for the robotaxis could be applied to Tesla’s planned humanoid helper robot, Optimus. Prototypes of Optimus were present at the event, serving drinks to attendees.
Tesla has been teasing the concept of owners renting out their EVs as robotaxis through the Tesla Network, similar to an Uber-style service, since 2016. While the company has yet to demonstrate a fully autonomous self-driving system, Musk hinted at updates to the Full-Self Driving feature that could enable unsupervised driving in California and Texas as soon as next year.
It’s worth noting that existing public robotaxi services like Waymo One and Apollo Go are already operating at Level 4 on the self-driving capability scale, where the vehicle can operate autonomously within pre-mapped geofenced areas. The ultimate goal is to achieve Level 5, where a self-driving car can navigate any route without human intervention.
Overall, Tesla’s foray into the world of robotaxis with the Cybercab and Robovan signals a significant step towards a future where autonomous vehicles play a key role in transportation services. Stay tuned for more updates as Tesla continues to innovate in this space.