Elon Musk unveils Cybercab at Tesla robotaxi event

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the long-awaited robotaxi, the Cybercab, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.

The futuristic-looking car, which features two wing-shaped doors and no pedals or steering wheel, has put Musk in front of an audience eager to hear details about a project he sees as key to Tesla’s next chapter.

At the event, dubbed “We the Robot,” the billionaire reiterated his view that fully autonomous vehicles would be safer than those operated by humans, and could even make their owners money by renting them out for rides.

But Musk’s prediction that production would begin sometime “before 2027” has raised questions about whether he will again fail to meet his deadlines.

“I tend to be optimistic about time frames,” he joked during the event.

He said Cybercab – which will compete with rivals including Alphabet-owned Waymo – would cost less than $30,000 (£23,000).

But analysts doubted how realistic this plan was.

“It will be very difficult for Tesla to introduce a new car at this price within this timeline,” said Paul Miller, of research firm Forrester.

He added: “Without external support, or Tesla taking a loss on every vehicle, it does not seem reasonable to launch at anything close to this price this decade.”

Musk also said he expects to see “fully autonomous and unsupervised” technology available in Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y models in Texas and California next year “with permission where approved by regulators.”

But this approval is by no means guaranteed.

“It’s a large piece of metal traveling on roads at high speeds, so the safety concerns are significant,” said Samitha Samaranayake, an assistant professor of engineering at Cornell University.

Tesla’s self-driving ambitions rely on cameras that are cheaper than radar and the LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors that are the technological backbone of many competitors’ vehicles.

By teaching its cars how to drive, Tesla plans to use them artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence) is trained through raw data it collects from millions of vehicles.

The research community “is not convinced whether Tesla’s way of doing things can provide the safety assurances we desire,” Samaranayake said.

The Cybercab project has been subject to delays as it originally was right For release in August.

this summer, In a post on X Twitter Previously, Musk said the wait was due to design changes that he felt were important.

Meanwhile, competing robotaxis are already operating on some roads in the United States.

Tesla also appears poised to record its first-ever decline in annual sales as rivals pile into the electric vehicle market, even as sales decline.

Despite this bleak backdrop, Tuesday’s event was a lively spectacle, as Tesla’s humanoid robots danced and served drinks to attendees.

Musk also revealed another prototype of the “Robovan” vehicle that can transport up to 20 passengers at one time.

The sleek shuttle “could be a mode of transportation over the coming years that Tesla leverages,” said Dan Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities, who attended the event in person.

Another analyst said the event felt like a step back in memory while also indicating the path ahead.

“Musk has done an amazing job of mapping out an ideal future for transportation that promises to free up our time and increase safety,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ chief insights officer.

But despite his showmanship, there are doubts about whether he can achieve the vision he set out.

“There are still many questions about how this can be achieved in practice,” Caldwell added.

The rollout of robotaxis has faced setbacks, as GM’s GM subsidiary operates self-driving cars The San Francisco cruise has been suspended After a pedestrian fell.

But the sector continues to expand.

Waymo He said In early October, Hyundai will add the Ioniq 5 to its fleet of robotaxis after the vehicles undergo road testing using the company’s technology.

Ride-hailing giant Uber also wants to add more self-driving vehicles to its fleet to expand its delivery and ride-sharing options for customers.

He – she Announce Multi-year alliance with self-driving car developer Cruise in August.

Chinese technology company Baidu is too It is said It is looking to expand its robotaxi division, Apollo Go, beyond China – where the vehicles are active in several cities.