In a typical staged production last night, Elon Musk and Tesla showcased Robotaxi.
The concept is of course great. Taxis and Ubers barely need a driver now, are often undersupplied during events or peak times, and could easily be completed by a computer. Tesla has had self-driving for a while so it’s no surprise they want to compete with Uber and Lyft now.
Musk put on the We, Robot party.
The Cybercab, one of the models, has no steering wheel or pedals. Musk describes it as individualized mass transit. Musk explained that the average cost of mass transport is generally $1 or more per mile vs $0.30 per mile with Tesla’s new vehicles. In the past, he’s hinted that Tesla owners could rent their cars out to become taxis and earn income in the future.
The company expects to launch Robotaxi with Model 3 and Model Y in California and Texas in 2025 with the Cybercab model launching towards the end of 2026.
The car uses inductive charging, which means it has no plug.
