New Tesla “robotaxis”: Elon Musk presents his autonomous and driverless taxis Cybercab and Robovan

Vehicles of public transport that operates autonomously, is accessible and capable of transporting users anywhere. This is the promise he has been repeating for years Elon Musk CEO of Tesla manufacturer of electric vehicles.

The billionaire businessman is getting closer to his goal. Thursday evening, he presented the prototype of the Cybercab , A “robot taxi” which could become Tesla’s first fully autonomous car . This is one of the most important milestones for the company as it seeks to lead mobility in the future and, according to Musk, is the biggest achievement it has achieved since the launch of the Model 3 .

The event, called We, robots took place at the Warner Bros. film studios. in Burbank, California, which allowed Tesla to not need permission from authorities to test new models. Musk appeared in his classic black leather jacket and accompanied by a man dressed in a SpaceX astronaut suit. He even got into the sleek “robot taxi” and took a spin before starting his speech.

The presentation was also broadcast live and followed by millions of users on the X platform (formerly Twitter). Although the match started almost an hour late, likely due to a medical emergency, that didn’t matter to the crowd waiting in the studios.

Tesla’s first fully autonomous electric vehicle It lacks steering wheels and pedals to control it, and it doesn’t need to be plugged in. . According to Musk, it has inductive charging, so it only needs to go through the charger to charge.

In its design, which is characterized by its futuristic character, we can see that it has doors that open upwards as if they were butterfly doors and that it only has space for two passengers. Its shape is almond-shaped, with a metallic exterior and a strip of headlights on the front.

And what about the price? From Tesla they expect it to be less than $30,000 (approximately 28 million Chilean pesos).

In addition to the sample vehicle, Musk said there were 20 other Cybercabs and 50 autonomous vehicles at the event that attendees could ride and test.

The billionaire was optimistic during his speech, assuring that vehicles equipped with autonomous driving systems could be used like Uber if their owner does not use them.

“I hope everything goes well. We will know” commented the tycoon, slogan The Wall Street Journal .

Also presented to the public was optimal robot which could cost up to $30,000 after it hits the market. “I think it will be the best product ever,” Musk said. At the end of the event, a group of robots started dancing on stage while the song Robot Rock by Daft Punk played in the background.

Although the Cybercab was the star of the evening, it wasn’t the only fully autonomous driving prototype Musk showed off. And also appeared the Robovan, a kind of minibus that can transport more than 20 people.

The presentation of the Robovan was a big surprise for the audience present at We, Robot, who only expected to see the Cybercab. “What if you need a vehicle larger than a Model Y? » Musk started by saying introduce him, slogan Business Insider .

After the tycoon’s words, the vehicle doors opened and a group of people came out onto the street. The Robovan is characterized by being rectangular, without very visible wheels and with doors in the middle, as if it were a train . As shown at the event, its interior is white, with two rows of seats facing each other and television screens.

Musk said this car is focused on high-density uses, such as transporting sports equipment. He also said it could be used as a school bus. “It can carry up to 20 people and can also transport goods” he added.

Musk did not mention Robovan launch dates. But in the case of the Cybercab, he said they plan to start production in 2026 and then fix whatever happens. before 2027. “I tend to be a little optimistic about deadlines” he added shortly after.

Before “robot taxis” hit the market, Tesla will look to transition its Model L3 and Model Y vehicles from supervised autonomous driving to unsupervised autonomous driving.

The goal is for this change to happen next year in California and Texas, and according to regulators, in other places in the United States and the rest of the world. Tesla CEO said he expects the Model S and Model

The presentation of the new Tesla models constitutes an important step for the automobile manufacturer. According to the Wall Street Journal, Ten years ago, Musk first floated the idea of ​​creating self-driving vehicles that owners could rent to strangers, generating additional income.

Since then, the billionaire had made several predictions about when this technology would be ready. On one occasion he said that Teslas sold since 2017 also have the system to work as a “robottaxi”, that is, when the software is updated, people could be part of the same project.

In 2019, during a conference, he even claimed that Tesla would have a million “robot taxis” on the roads by the following year. The dates have therefore been pushed back until 2024.

Tesla had planned for the presentation of its autonomous vehicle to take place in August this year. However, as the South African businessman explained, this had to be postponed after requesting a design change.

The event also comes at a somewhat critical time for the automaker, which is facing a class action lawsuit in the United States by Tesla users who claim they were promised a fully autonomous driving system but did not get it.

Added to this is the fact that in recent months its profits have declined due to slowing demand for electric vehicles and tight competition with other companies.

Despite the challenges, Musk seemed hopeful during the conference at Warner Bros. According to him, the launch of his new technologies could increase Tesla’s market value by $30 billion. “We want to change the appearance of the roads. The future should look like the future. he pointed out.