On Thursday, Tesla CEO and noted fashionable jumper Elon Musk will take the stage to showcase the company robotaxis plansa la the “Cybercab”. While the car we see isn’t expected to be a fully functional product, investors and Tesla fans are hoping for a working prototype or other signs that the company will overcome the technological and regulatory hurdles it faces. You can track the event with an X live streaming at 10:00 PM ET.
With the Cybercab, Musk aims to create a fully autonomous car that works on the Tesla ridesharing network. Owners will also reportedly be able to host their cars on the network to operate as autonomous cabs, which has been likened to “a combination of Airbnb and Uber.”
The CEO started talking about the robotaxi plan years ago. However, it gained more significance earlier this year when Tesla was reported has put plans for an entry-level EV on hold — often called “Model 2” — in favor of the autonomous ridesharing project.
Unlike competitors Waymo, Cruise and ZooxTesla’s current automation relies on cameras and artificial intelligence. Reuters notes Musk will aim to improve the technology fast enough to “catch up” in the highly regulated industry. Regardless of what’s promised at the event, you might want to take the CEO’s promises with a few grains of salt (unless it’s Cybertruckloads). In April 2019, Musk said, “If you fast forward a year, maybe a year [and] three months We’ll have over a million robots on the way.”
Here we are in 2024—not really 2020, mind you—and Tesla doesn’t have a single robot on the road.
Wired notes said the company does not have an autonomous permit in California and has not contacted the state’s AV regulators about the test. Waymo, Zoox, beleaguered Cruise and Apple (no longer in the self-driving car business) have traveled thousands of miles testing their self-driving cars in the Golden State. Waymo is the only company in the United States that uses robotaxis commercially.
you can adapt to live streaming Thursday at 10PM ET / 7PM ET to see what Musk and company have in store.
