Tesla’s much-anticipated Robotaxi was unveiled on Thursday night at a Hollywood studio, but enthusiasts will have to wait until at least 2026 for it to go on sale.
When Elon Musk, the firm’s CEO, arrived on a stage at the Warner Bros. studio lot, he revealed to the audience that the svelte, AI-powered “Cybercabs” lack pedals and a steering wheel. He also conveyed confidence in the advancements the business has achieved in autonomous driving technology, which enables cars to operate without the need for human involvement.
Nine years ago, Tesla started marketing the “Full Self-Driving” software. However, its dependability is questioned.
“Full self-driving will transition from being supervised to being unsupervised. where you can rest and awaken when you get to your destination,” he stated. “The future is going to be magnificent.”
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Musk stated that Tesla anticipates the Cybercabs to cost less than $30,000. He stated that the cars would be accessible “before 2027,” after estimating that they would be in 2026.
Additionally, the business anticipates offering full self-driving capability on its well-liked Model 3 and Model Y automobiles in Texas and California next year.
Equity strategist at Morningstar Research Seth Goldstein stated, “If they’re going to eventually get to robotaxis, they need to first have success with the unsupervised FSD at the current lineup. What happened tonight demonstrated that they are prepared to move forward.”
However, investors are a little nervous about when Tesla would take that step because other automakers are currently using similar technologies. Tesla Inc. shares fell 9% on Friday at the opening bell.
In Phoenix and other locations, Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous vehicle division, Waymo, is transporting people in cars without human safety drivers. Robotaxis was being used by General Motors’ Cruise self-driving business in San Francisco before a collision involving one of its cars last year.
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Additionally, Aurora Innovation announced that by year’s end, it will begin transporting cargo on Texas roads in completely autonomous semis. By the end of 2025, Gatik, another autonomous semi-firm, intends to transport freight on its own.
With about 20 Cybercabs available, Tesla allowed eventgoers to ride inside the movie studio property rather than on the streets of Los Angeles.
During the “We, Robot” presentation, which was shown live on X and Tesla’s website, Musk also unveiled a sleek-looking minibus that would be autonomous and able to seat up to 20 people, just like the Cybercab.
Additionally, the business unveiled a number of its white and black Optimus humanoid robots, who paraded a short distance from the guests before showcasing their dancing skills in a pavilion designed to resemble a futuristic space.
Musk projected that the robots would cost between $28,000 and $30,000 and be capable of doing a variety of jobs, including babysitting, lawn mowing, and grocery fetching.
“Any idea you have will work,” he remarked.
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As the firm struggles to sell its core goods, an old range of electric vehicles, Musk is trying to convince investors that his company is more about robots and artificial intelligence than it is about cars with the launch of the Cybercab.
Musk has supported numerous conservative causes and is an ally of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump. He accompanied Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania last weekend.
For almost five years, Musk has been predicting the arrival of a Robotaxi fleet, which will enable Tesla owners to profit from the usage of their vehicles by having other people drive them when they’re not using them themselves. According to Musk, Tesla owners will be able to use the company’s Robotaxi network to use their vehicles for transportation.
Yet he has admitted that earlier forecasts on the application of autonomous driving turned out to be overly optimistic. He committed to having a fleet of driverless cars by the end of 2020 in 2019.
The statement coincides with an investigation by US safety regulators into Full Self Driving and Autopilot due to evidence of a deficient mechanism for ensuring human drivers pay attention.
Furthermore, Tesla was compelled to recall Full Self-Driving in February by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration due to its acceptance of speeding and violation of other traffic laws, particularly when it came to areas near junctions. Tesla was supposed to use an online software update to address the issues.
Authorities said that a motorcyclist was murdered in April in Snohomish County, Washington, which is close to Seattle, by a Tesla that was operating in fully autonomous mode. When the Tesla rear-ended the motorcycle rider, the driver admitted to the police that he was using the system and looking at his phone. Authorities said that the motorcyclist was pronounced deceased at the spot.
The NHTSA reports that it is reviewing data from law enforcement and Tesla on the deadly collision.
Along with other things, the Justice Department has also asked Tesla for information regarding Full Self-Driving and Autopilot.
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