During the Tesla “We, Robot” event in Burbank, California at the Warner Bros. Discovery Studio on Thursday, October 10 2024, Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO unveiled a prototype of the Robotaxi also known as Cybercab which should kickstart Tesla’s journey into the future of fully autonomous self-driving cars. He arrived on stage by Cybercab, and introduced a Robovan and their latest robot “Optimus”.
According to Musk, Tesla plans to launch fully autonomous driving in California and Texas next year, starting with the current Model 3, and Model Y, then with the Robotaxi going into production in late 2027.
The Robotaxi “Cybercab”
The Cybercab is a very futuristic project and the prototype has no steering wheel or pedals. Getting in is aided by two upward-opening wing-like doors to reveal a very minimalistic cabin for two passengers with a giant screen in the middle.
Charging will be wireless which Musk referred to as inductive charging. According to Elon Mush, fully autonomous cars will be 10 to 20 times safer than the current human-driven cars, and cost as little as 20 cents per mile compared to the current $1 per mile for city buses.
How Will The Cybercab Work?
With the Cybercab, you can simply hail it by using an app on your phone, and then the rest is in the hands of AI and trust. You can relax by watching movies or catch up with some work on your laptop and even sleep until your destination.
You can also rent the Cybercab when not using it, to recoup some of its cost.
The Cost?
Cybercab will cost just under £23,000 ($30,000) when finally goes into production on a mass scale. According to Elon Musk, these cars will be time savers. He said “Think about the cumulative time that people spend in a car,” he said, “and the time they will get back that they can now spend on their books or watching a movie or doing work or whatever.”
The Robovan running cost will be even cheaper than the Robocab at 5 cents per mile, and the Optimus robot, a whopping £15,000 to £25,000 ($20,000 to $30,000) but will be capable of various chores and tasks such as looking after your kids or teaching them, mowing your lawns and doing pretty much anything you want.
According to Elon Mush, the Optimus personal robot will be the biggest product of any kind when it finally goes on sale.
Conclusion
Elon Musk and Tesla are looking to move away from making electric cars to becoming a robotics and AI company with the aim of making our future commute truly driverless, where you could fall asleep and wake up at your destination.
Questions People Ask
What is a fully autonomous car?
An autonomous car does not need human supervision or input when driving. This is also referred to as SAE Level 5. This level of autonomous technology will not have a steering wheel, accelerator or brake pedals. No car manufacturer has achieved this yet as of 2024
What is the Tesla Optimus robot?
The Tesla Optimus will be a personal robot that can talk, get you a drink, teach and take care of your kids and pretty much do anything you want it to do. This was introduced and used to serve drinks at the Tesla “We Robot” event in October 2024.
Do any fully autonomous driving cars or services currently exist?
Yes, Google’s Waymo One is a fully autonomous ride-hailing service launched and currently operational in parts notably San Fransisco and Metro Phoenix in the United States. All you need is the Waymo One App to hail a Waymo One vehicle. Find out more on the Waymo One website
