Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla CyberCab robotaxi
By ForGeeks At an event We, Robot held Thursday at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, Elon Musk finally revealed the long-awaited Robotaxi, Tesla’s fully autonomous car that is set to go into production “by 2027.” The unveiled electric car has a silver-chrome finish, no steering wheel or pedals, and will be charged using induction technology. According to Musk, the new Robotaxi will cost “less than $30,000.”
The new Robotaxi is expected to cost “less than $30,000.
The beginning of the autonomous cab era
Mask noted that Tesla will begin rolling out fully autonomous mode in the states of Texas and California for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y as early as next year. Those vehicles will test driverless driving without driver input, and the full launch of Robotaxi (which Musk also called “Cybercab”) will happen closer to 2026, subject to regulatory approval.
At that point, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y will be fully autonomous.
“We expect to launch Cybercab, which is really optimized for autonomous vehicles, most likely – well, I’m usually too optimistic with timelines, but by 2026. Let’s say by 2027, we’ll definitely start production.”
Ilon Musk
Robovan: a new look at trucking
Tesla also unveiled Robovan, a larger autonomous vehicle that can carry up to 20 people or large loads. During the event, Robotaxi and Robovan rolled around Warner Bros. Studios, demonstrating their capabilities. Musk arrived at the stage, driving up on the Robotaxi to open the event.
Musk arrived at the stage, riding up on the Robotaxi to open the event.
“Today’s transportation is often associated with a lot of inconveniences that we accept as the norm. For example, standing for three hours at a time in traffic in Los Angeles,” Musk said during his speech, appealing to the audience. “With autonomy, you get your time back.”
Competition in the autonomous transportation market
The autonomous transportation market is booming right now, and Tesla is facing some serious competition. Among the major players is Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google’s parent company), which already provides services in cities like San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Another competitor is Zoox, an Amazon property, which is also testing its unmanned vehicles in major cities. General Motors, through its Cruise subsidiary, is also trying to gain a foothold in the market, despite a temporary suspension due to an accident in California last year.
Although Tesla has long promoted its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, it has yet to live up to expectations. Right now, FSD helps Tesla cars perform certain tasks such as lane changing, parking and road navigation, but the driver still needs to stay behind the wheel and pay attention. To use FSD, Tesla offers a subscription that costs up to $199 per month. However, despite Musk’s promises to release fully autonomous cars as early as 2021, that goal has yet to be achieved.
Legislative and security issues
Tesla’s autonomous driving technology has repeatedly come under regulatory scrutiny. In 2022, the California Department of Motor Vehicles accused the company of falsely advertising FSD and Autopilot systems. That same year, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation after several accidents involving Tesla vehicles using Autopilot. In December 2023, Tesla recalled more than two million vehicles due to safety issues with the Autopilot system, releasing a software update that is supposed to improve driver attention.
Tesla has issued a recall of more than two million vehicles due to safety issues with the Autopilot system. Mask has repeatedly said autonomous cars will make roads safer and save lives. “Autonomous cars will be 10 times safer than human driving,” he said. “That will save a lot of lives and prevent injuries.” Musk has repeatedly said that autonomous cars will make roads safer and prevent injuries.
Tesla Bot: autonomy goes beyond cars
Besides autonomous vehicles, Tesla also showed off developments in robots. Musk talked about the Tesla Bot, which will be able to perform tasks ranging from babysitting and mowing the lawn to delivering groceries. He said the robot will cost between $20,000 and $30,000. At the end of the event, the broadcast showed humanoid robots standing behind a bar serving drinks to attendees. At the end of the event, the broadcast showed humanoid robots standing behind a bar serving drinks to attendees.
The Future is Autonomy
The competition in autonomous driving is only getting tougher, and Tesla will have to catch up with players like Waymo, which already provides more than 100,000 rides each week in several cities. The company also plans to expand into other cities, including Austin and Atlanta, in partnership with Uber. But despite Musk and Tesla’s optimistic outlook, many of the company’s timelines have so far fallen short, including a promise to create a fleet of one million Robotaxi by the end of 2020.
The company’s timelines have not yet been met. It remains to be seen whether Tesla will be able to realize its ambitious plans and introduce fully autonomous cars to the market as promised. The future does look exciting, but whether Tesla will be able to meet the challenges of the times, only time will tell. The future does look exciting, but only time will tell.
