Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils robotaxi and robovan in self-driving car splash
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Tesla unveiled a robotaxi dubbed the Tesla Cybercab at an event in Hollywood. Screencap: Tesla via YouTube.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a self-driving vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals Thursday night, saying it would go into production before 2027.
Why it matters: Musk has been teasing the robotaxi for years, but the so-called Tesla Cybercab took a step closer to becoming a reality when it dropped Musk off at the stage for the company's "We, Robot" event on the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Hollywood.
- "You could fall asleep and wake up at your destination," Musk said as 20 units of the Cybercab drove around the lot without people in them.
Between the lines: While acknowledging that he has a track record for overly optimistic predictions, Musk said the autonomous technology is AI-driven and does not require new hardware. He also said:
- The Cybercab — a coupe with a futuristic silver body and butterfly doors — will eventually cost "below $30,000" and "we'll make this vehicle in very high volume."
- It will cost 20 cents per mile to operate, and riders will be able to hail a ride for 30 cents to 40 cents per mile.
- The company expects to go from "supervised" autonomous driving in its current vehicles to "unsupervised" driving in 2025 in Texas and California with the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
- The Cybercab will use inductive charging to fill up on electricity and will not have a charging cord.
In a surprise, the company also revealed a "robovan," a self-driving van capable of carrying up to 20 passengers or being configured for cargo purposes.
- It looked like a futuristic train car with smooth edges and virtually no space between the bottom of the vehicle and the pavement as it rolled up to the stage.
- "We're going to make this and it's going to look like that," Musk said. "The robovan is what's going to solve for high density."
Musk also showed off the latest version of its Optimus humanoid robots, with Musk saying "we've made a lot of progress" and predicting that it will eventually cost $20,000 to $30,000.
- He said Optimus "will basically do anything you want," like mow the lawn, buy groceries or walk the dog.
- "You can have your own personal R2D2, C3PO," he said.
The big picture: Musk has repeatedly described self-driving car systems as crucial to Tesla's stock valuation and to its future.
- Challenges remain, however. For one, regulators will need to authorize the Cybercab to hit the road, which is far from a guarantee in a timely fashion.
- And Musk gave no timeline for Optimus, suggesting it may still be a long way off.
What they're saying: "Musk did a fantastic job of painting an ideal future for transportation that promises to both free up our time and increase safety," Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at car research site Edmunds, wrote after the event. "But many questions remain about how this will be achieved from a practical standpoint."
- Caldwell said the timeline "feels overly ambitious" and that Tesla will find it challenging to get regulators and the public to approve.
Zoom in: Musk spoke for roughly 20 minutes Thursday before declaring "let's party."
- Attendees spent the remainder of the event taking rides in the Cybercabs, and interacting with the robots which danced to music, handed out gift bags and posed for pictures.
The big question: How will the market react?
- It'll likely come down to whether investors believe what they saw will come to fruition and how soon.
