American multinational automotive and clean energy company Tesla, on Thursday, unveiled its latest Robotaxi driverless vehicle, “Cybercab”, at the “We Robot” event in California.
The Cybercab, a futuristic two-seater with no steering wheels or pedals, reflects Musk’s bold vision for the future of autonomous transport.
Musk emphasized how autonomous vehicles like the Cybercab could significantly reduce transportation costs and improve convenience. “With autonomy, you get your time back,” he stated, predicting that robotaxis would eventually be 10 times safer than current modes of transportation and cost as little as 20 cents per mile to operate, potentially rivaling the cost of mass transit.
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He also noted that the Cybercab would employ inductive charging, meaning that the autonomous vehicle could roll up to a station to recharge, with no plugging in required. In terms of pricing, Musk hinted that the vehicle could be placed at a price point below $30,000 and an expected production timeline to begin before 2027. While specific production details were sparse, he promised that unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities would be operational in Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Texas and California by next year.
In addition to the Cybercab, Musk revealed plans for an autonomous Robovan, designed to carry up to 20 people or transport goods, targeting high-density transportation needs.
Tesla’s recent unveiling of its driverless Cybercab comes after the company’s CEO Elon Musk has long touted about a self-driving vehicle.
For years, Elon Musk has been touting Tesla’s advancements in autonomous vehicles, repeatedly promising that they would soon be available to the public. However, these ambitious timelines have consistently fallen short. In 2015, Musk assured shareholders that Tesla cars would achieve “full autonomy” within three years. Unfortunately, that milestone was missed.
In 2016, he claimed a Tesla would complete a coast-to-coast drive with no human intervention by the end of 2017, but it never materialized. Then fast forward to 2019, during a call with institutional investors that helped raise over $2 billion, Musk predicted Tesla would have 1 million robotaxi-ready vehicles on the road by 2020, generating income for their owners through 100 hours of weekly driving. That too, did not come to pass.
Despite the missed deadlines, Musk, known for his ambitious nature, has continued to project confidence in achieving an autonomous vehicle. In an April call this year, he reiterated that autonomy remains Tesla’s future, telling investors, “If somebody doesn’t believe Tesla’s going to solve autonomy, I think they should not be an investor in the company. We will, and we are.”
While the timeline is ambitious, Musk remains optimistic about the future of autonomous transport, envisioning a world where individuals could manage fleets of robotaxis for profit through a ridesharing network.