Tesla Cybercab announced: Elon Musk's robotaxi is finally here

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled a new self-driving electric vehicle, a potential milestone after years of false promises and missed deadlines.

The robotaxi is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, meaning it needs approval from regulators before production. The design was futuristic, with doors that opened upward like butterfly wings and a small cabin that could only accommodate two passengers. There was no steering wheel or pedals, nor was there a plug – Musk said the vehicle would be inductively charged to regenerate power wirelessly.

Musk said autonomous cars are expected to be 10 to 20 times safer than human-driven vehicles and may cost as little as $0.20 per mile, compared to $1 per mile for city buses.

Tesla plans to introduce fully autonomous driving in Texas and California next year, with production of the Cybercab by 2026 – although he said that could not happen until 2027. Additionally, Tesla is developing the Optimus robot, which could retail for $20,000 to $30,000. and is able to perform various tasks.

“This is a very big deal,” Musk said. “It will save lives, many lives, and prevent injuries.”

Musk unveiled the Robotaxi prototype at Tesla's “We, Robot” event at the Warner Bros. movie lot in Burbank, California, with plenty of closed streets for the demonstration. Tesla reportedly mapped the area in advance of the demonstration, although the company says it does not rely on high-resolution maps for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance feature.

Musk is trying to steer Tesla away from its core business of making and selling electric vehicles and toward a company that produces robots and AI. Tesla's market capitalization is almost equal to the entire value of the other global automakers combined. Much of the company's stock price is based on Musk's years-long promise to solve autonomy by releasing a truly revolutionary vehicle that can drive itself wherever it wants.

It is unclear whether Tesla's robotaxi will be able to cope with this difficult task. Musk has a reputation for defying the odds, but AV experts have regularly questioned Tesla's approach to technology, particularly given the company's aggressive push for Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised). .

These features, which are non-autonomous and require constant vigilance from the driver, can be impressive, but are also known to make serious mistakes. Earlier this year, a 28-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a Tesla driver who was allegedly using FSD. Tesla was forced to recall both driver assistance systems as the government increasingly scrutinizes the company's autonomy claims.

But Musk has a track record of coming back from behind and achieving impossible victories. The production of the Model 3 and the early success of the Cybertruck are two recent examples of Musk exceeding expectations.

During the event, Musk presented the idea of ​​autonomous cars primarily as a time saver. “Think about all the time people spend in a car,” he said, “and the time they get back now with their books , watching a movie, working, or whatever.”

Still, Tesla lags behind companies like Waymo and Cruise, both of which have logged millions of test miles on the road with their self-driving vehicles. To be sure, the rollout of robotaxis has been rocky, with numerous incidents of blocked vehicles, traffic jams, and even a handful of injuries. Federal safety regulators are investigating several key players to determine whether the technology powering these vehicles is safe or should be recalled.

The families of Tesla drivers who died in Autopilot accidents have sued the company for wrongful death. And Musk's tenure as head of