Tesla Cybercab
 | This article documents a recent product announcement. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2024) |
| Tesla Cybercab | |
|---|---|
| Body and chassis | |
| Layout | 2-door |
| Doors | Butterfly |
The Tesla Cybercab, or Tesla Robotaxi, is a forthcoming battery electric self-driving car produced by Tesla Inc. The vehicle is exclusively autonomously controlled, and has no steering wheel or pedals.
A concept Cybercab was unveiled in October 2024, with 20 prototypes providing short rides to attendees of the announcement event. Production is planned to commence before 2027.
History
[edit]Background
[edit]Tesla made public statements about a mass market electric car product that would follow the Model Y since approximately 2020,[1] and would be considerably cheaper than the Model 3. In 2022, CEO Musk was advocating inside the company for a pure-autonomous "Robotaxi" vehicle for Tesla's next vehicle, but by September 2022, he had reluctantly accepted the recommendation of Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy that the next-generation vehicle platform should support both a small, inexpensive, mass-market car—as well as a self-driving "Robotaxi" that would be built with no steering wheel at all—and that both could be manufactured on the same platform, and use the same next-generation vehicle assembly line.[2] By October 2022, the company stated publicly that the Tesla engineering team had turned its focus to the new platform, and that the company expected the price would be approximately half of the price of the Model 3/Y platform.[3]
In 2019, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk stated that he believed Tesla would have one million autonomous taxis by 2021.[4] In April 2024, Musk announced that the Robotaxi's reveal would take place in August; subsequently delayed to October.[5]
When previously describing the next-generation Tesla vehicle platform, the company said the vehicle would take advantage of advanced production concepts such as large single-unit castings, the "Unboxed Process," a 48-volt low-voltage electrical system, a structural battery pack, and a new bi-directional redundant-path communication architecture that reduces vehicle cost by significantly decreasing the mass of the wiring harness.[6][7][8]
Announcement
[edit]Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Cybercab on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank in California, where 20 concept Cybercabs were autonomously driving around the studio outlot at night and giving rides to attendees of the event.[9][10] Musk stated that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027.[11] The final name of the vehicle was unclear, as Tesla used both "Robotaxi" and "Cybercab" throughout the event to refer to the cars.[9] Tesla also showed off a single concept prototype of a Robovan that could reportedly hold as many as 20 passengers.[12]
The concept Cybercab had two butterfly doors and a hatchback opening for cargo, with no charge port showing on the prototype vehicles. The production vehicle design will include inductive charging.[9]
The announcement event had few technical details of the Cybercab and made no mention of Tesla using the chassis for a driver-operated vehicle on the same platform, but automotive analysts have noted that Tesla could choose to offer such a vehicle at a future time in a relatively straightforward way.[11]
Investor reaction to the announcement was muted, particularly given the long time frame between October 2024 and the expected operational Cybercabs sometime before 2027.[11] New Scientist criticized Tesla because the Cybercab will not be available for two years while the Waymo self-driving cars are operating on streets today.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Morris, James (March 4, 2023). "Tesla Investor Day 2023: $25,000 Next Gen Vehicle To Be Made In Mexico". Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ Isaacson, Walter (September 12, 2023). Elon Musk. Simon & Schuster. pp. 501–505. ISBN 978-1-9821-8128-4. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ Lambert, Fred (March 2023). "Tesla is working on next-gen electric car platform for half the price". Electrek. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
- ^ Ford, Martin (September 18, 2021). "Elon Musk's failed Tesla robotaxi promise is the height of self-driving hype". Fast Company. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
At the [2019 Autonomy Day] event, Musk said, 'I feel very confident predicting autonomous robotaxis for Tesla next year.' He went on to suggest that Tesla would have a million such cars operating on public roads by the end of 2020. By 'robotaxis,' Musk meant genuine self-driving cars, capable of operating with no one inside and able to pick up passengers and deliver them to random locations. In other words, a truly robotic version of Uber or Lyft.
- ^ "Tesla Delays Robotaxi Event in Blow to Musk's Autonomy Drive". Bloomberg. July 11, 2024.
- ^ Morris, James (January 7, 2023). "Tesla Next Generation Platform: Everything We Know So Far". Forbes. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ Perkins, Chris (March 2, 2023). "Here's What Tesla Said About Its Next-Generation Car". Road and Track. US. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "Tesla executives detail Cybertruck 'Etherloop' wiring system". Teslarati. December 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Tesla's 'Cybercab' robotaxi is here, and yet still so far away". Yahoo Tech. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
Cybercab (or Robotaxi — the name isn't entirely clear right now as both names were used throughout the event)
- ^ Aarian, Marshall (October 9, 2024). "Tesla Is Ready to Roll Out Its Robotaxis". Wired. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Musk Shows Tesla Cybercab, Sees Sub-$30,000 Cost and 2026 Production". Bloomberg News. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "Tesla's robovan is the surprise of the night". The Verge. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "Elon Musk's Tesla Cybercab is a hollow promise of a robotaxi future". New Scientist. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
