The EV maker’s long-awaited robotaxi is here, and it looks pretty cool. At a glitzy unveiling at Warner Bros studios, CEO Elon Musk showcased on Thursday a Cybercab, a small two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals, that can autonomously ferry passengers around. It also surprised with a robovan designed to carry more people, though it offered few further details on that vehicle.
The Cybercab, reminiscent of the company’s earlier Model X sedan, will use inductive charging rather than plugging into a socket. It’s smaller than the Model 3 and Y and has a pair of gull-wing doors. Musk said the Cybercab could take on “supervised full self-driving” in California and Texas next year and then move to unsupervised driving in 2025. He cited a price range of $30,000 and said it will have a battery that lasts about 500 miles.
He said that Tesla will operate the fleet and allow individual owners to make money by listing their vehicles on the app as taxis. He added that a version that can haul cargo is expected in 2026. He emphasized the need to get a federal permit to run the robotaxis and said he believes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be “morally obligated” to approve it as soon as the technology proves safe enough.
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During the event, Cybercabs and the larger robovan cruised around on a closed course, maneuvering past attendees in their own cars and some of Tesla’s electric vehicles. The company plans to offer a cab and the Robovan subscription service.
He said that a new tab in the Tesla app will let drivers find and book the robotaxis. It will show a map of nearby vehicles and display their status, which can be updated in real time by both the driver and the vehicle. The cabs will be able to use existing maps and those created by Tesla itself.
Musk’s presentation was a shift in focus for the automaker, which has struggled to compete with conventional and upstart competitors building cheaper cars. It is also facing increased competition in batteries and charging infrastructure. Amid losing momentum, Tesla laid off some 14,000 employees earlier this year.
Optimus, the humanoid robot Musk has dubbed “the single biggest product Tesla will ever produce,” also appeared at the event. It mingled with the crowd, danced, and handed out gift bags, a fitting touch for an event that seemed to be betting on the future of robotic vehicles, not low-priced mass-market cars.
