Elon Musk showcased Tesla’s highly anticipated driverless taxi, the Robotaxi, at the company’s “We, Robot” event on Thursday evening.
The unveiling took place at a Warner Bros. Discovery movie studio lot in Burbank, California, providing a controlled environment for demonstrating autonomous driving capabilities.
Musk entered the sleek, silver Robotaxi, which features butterfly-style doors and no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle, also known as Cybercab, took him on a short ride around the lot before he exited to address the audience.
Musk emphasized the Robotaxi’s reliance on inductive charging and its ability to operate without human intervention. He revealed that Tesla had at least 20 Cybercabs and 50 fully autonomous vehicles on-site, some of which were already driving autonomously.
Tesla plans to introduce unsupervised, fully autonomous versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in California and Texas next year. The Cybercab is expected to enter production before 2027, although Musk acknowledged his tendency to be optimistic about timelines.
The Robotaxi will be available for purchase at an estimated price of less than $30,000. Tesla’s Robotaxi service will offer no driver fee and will rely solely on cameras for navigation, eliminating the need for radar or lidar equipment. Customers can summon a Robotaxi for short trips or extended periods.
Musk also unveiled the Robovan, a large shuttle van capable of seating up to 20 people. He further highlighted Optimus, a humanoid robot priced between $28,000 and $30,000, but did not provide a specific release date.
The event, which was live-streamed on X, attracted over 5 million viewers.
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