ROBOTAXIS / FLYING TAXIS ELON MUSK UNVEILS TESLA’S ROBOTAXI


‘CYBERCAB’ AND HIS AUTONOMOUS DRIVING PLANS


Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, has unveiled the company’s highly anticipated robotaxi, the Cybercab, promising a price tag below $30,000. The reveal at the ‘We, Robot’ event also saw announcements for expanded autonomous driving capabilities in the Model 3 and Model Y Tesla vehicles. Despite previous scepticism from analysts, Musk expressed confid- ence in Tesla’s ability to deliver on its promises of fully self-driving vehicles. He revealed that 20 additional Cybercabs and 50 AVs were available for attendees of the event to experience. The Cybercab will be fully auto- nomous, eliminating the need for a steering wheel or pedals. It will feature inductive charging and a powerful computer system, designed to be distributed across the network of Tesla cars. Musk announced that the Cybercab is expected to go into production before 2027. He envisions a future where AVs transform transportation, allowing for safer and more efficient travel. He said autonomous cars can be used as Uber-like taxis when not being used by the owner, and people could set up fleets of the vehicles to rival ride-share com- panies in what he described as like a “shepherd with a flock of cars”. “It’s going to be a glorious future.” Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles will transition from supervised to unsupervised self- driving in California and Texas next year. The company aims to expand this capability to other regions, subject to regulatory approval. He said the S and X models will


PHTM NOVEMBER 2024


also have autonomous driving but did not set a timeframe. Musk emphasised the safety benefits of autonomous driving, citing the vast amount of driving data collected by Tesla. Musk also announced the Robovan, an autonomous van cap- able of carrying up to 20 people and goods. However,


details


regarding price and production timeline were not disclosed. Tesla’s


advancements in auto-


nomous driving come amid ongoing scrutiny from regulators and consumers. The company faces a class-action lawsuit over promises of full self- driving capabilities that have yet to be fully realised. In February last year, Tesla was pressured to recall full self-driving vehicles by US safety regulators due to the system allowing speeding and other traffic violations, with Tesla fixing the issue with a software update. In April this year, regulators also announced an investigation into full self-driving and autopilot systems and whether the company was doing enough to make sure the human drivers were paying attention, after a reported 20 crashes involving autopilot following the earlier recall.


TESLA & UBER COULD JOIN FORCES FOR ROBOTAXI DEPLOYMENT


Tesla and Uber may team up to bring Tesla’s


new Cybercab


Robotaxi to the ride-sharing plat- form, according to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. In a recent interview Khosrowshahi expressed his enthusiasm for partnering with Tesla and other companies in the AV industry. He specifically mentioned his desire to see the Cybercab integ- rated into Uber’s platform. Tesla has already unveiled its own Robotaxi platform and developed a prototype of its ride-hailing app. While the company has plans to


launch its own service, a partner- ship with Uber could accelerate its market penetration. Khosrowshahi acknowledged the challenges of competing with Tesla but emphasised Uber’s com- mitment to collaboration. While ride-sharing is a highly competitive market, Tesla’s strong brand and existing business model could give it a significant advant- age. A partnership with Uber could give Tesla a ready-made customer base and distribution network, helping it quickly scale its Robotaxi service.


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