Tesla held their "We, Robot" event on Thursday night at the Warner Brothers lot in Los Angeles, and finally gave us a look at their robotaxi, a fully autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals that has been rumored for years. While Elon Musk has hinted at both a "robotaxi" and a "van-like" vehicle, it wasn't always clear if that meant one vehicle form factor or two. Tonight we got our answer.
Cybercab
The first vehicle highlighted is the Cybercab, a two-seater personal autonomy vehicle with no driving controls. The car is small, and looks a bit like a melding of a Model Y "coupe" and a Cybertruck, slab-sided and silver but with a low, sleek nose and rounded greenhouse. The Cybercab features butterfly doors and Tesla's center-mounted large infotainment screen, and was shown to utilize inductive charging. It was also implied that these cabs may have automated robotic cleaning centers that vacuum, polish and wash the cabs between uses, though very little info was given.
Tesla said the Cybercab would be available to purchase, offered for less than $30,000. Musk mentioned owners buying and managing small "fleets" like a shepherd tending to a flock. Range and performance specs were not announced, perhaps because they are irrelevant for a fully autonomous vehicle with no human controls. Musk hesitated on promising a timeline, before offering the estimate of "before 2027".
Robovan
Also shown was Robovan, a large van-like pod that can carry up to 20 people, with styling that steps closer to Art Deco-meets-Westworld. We saw the van glide up and unload a group of people, but details were otherwise slim. It is not clear if the van is for fleet-use only or available for sale like the Cybercab. No price or specifications of any kind were given, though in its current form with hidden inboard wheels and a perilous-for-speed-bumps ride height, it left us wondering just how real-world ready this autonomous bus was.
"Unsupervised Full-Self Driving"
Musk mentioned that "unsupervised" Full-Self Driving would first appear on the Tesla's current models, where regulatory bodies allow. It was said that they would start in Texas and California, as soon as "next year" (nearly a meme at this point as it relates to Tesla and full-self driving promises - time will tell).
Optimus Robot
The latest version of the Optimus robots also made an appearance, doing everything from pouring beers to dancing in a robot gazebo. No new info was provided for Optimus, though Musk waxed about a new "age of abundance" where robots do everything for us, with their low-cost manpower lowering the price of goods for all. That strikes us as a bit utopian, as the implication is that robots will replace labor - but who then replaces income? It seems modern problems may require modern solutions.
While we wait for more details, take a glimpse of Tesla's vision of the future with their gallery of glistening high-resolution renders.
