Last week, Tesla announced the Cybercab – a self-driving robotaxi – at its "We, Robot" event. According to its CEO Elon Musk, it will have a projected production date of 2026. The event, titled "We, Robot" (a play on Asimov's famous short story), was held in California and was unsurprisingly US-centric. Even so, anything that Tesla does in the realm of electric vehicles and autonomous driving is watched with great interest globally. Here are some of the highlights of the announcement.
Futuristic Cybercab prototype is a two-seater with no controls
Photo: Tesla
Purpose-built as a robotaxi, the Cybercab prototype is designed not to be driven. Featuring futuristic gull-wing doors, the car sits two people and there's no sign of a steering wheel or pedal anywhere. Autonomous driving, of course, is still developing and will require regulatory approval in the countries/cities where these cars will be offered.
Elon Musk arriving at the event in a robotaxi. Image: Tesla
Fully autonomous driving has always been the goal for many electric vehicle companies, and on stage, Musk was selling the dream of a world where you can get in a car and fall asleep, trusting it to take you to your destination safely. Unsurprisingly, Musk also says that it will be safer than a human-driven car, which has always been a goal and benefit when full autonomy finally becomes a reality.
Musk also suggests that the Cybercab can be more efficient than the current ownership model of private cars. When not being used, a car owner could let it become a cab that goes out and pick up passengers autonomously, maximising the use of the car, rather than letting it sit idle for hours.
Few other details were given about the Cybercab, but some that were shared included inductive charging (in case you're not aware, Norway's capital was the first to embrace it) and a projected price of under US$30,000 (~S$39,300). Musk says that production could start in 2026, but this should only be taken as an estimate since Tesla is no stranger to production delays. At the live stream event embedded above, Musk reinforced this possibility by saying the Cybercab should be out before 2027.
The Robovan is a futuristic autonomous vehicle for more passengers or moving goods. Photo: Tesla
Tesla also showed off the Robovan, a 20-seater that operates using the same principles but was designed for those who need to carry more people or goods.
Optimus robot to cost between US$20,000 & US$30,000
Tesla's vision of a humanoid robot serving humans. Photo: Tesla
Musk also took the opportunity to get some attention for the previously announced Optimus robot, saying they may cost as little as US$20,000 (~S$26,200) each. The event had these robots around the area interacting with guests. However, it was later discovered that human pilots were controlling these robots in the background.
Although these robots weren't performing at the level that Tesla envisions them to be, it's still a remarkable improvement over the man-in-spandex suit version when Tesla first announced the Optimus back in 2021. According to Tesla's presentation, it sees its Optimus robots as being capable personal assistants at home, capable of performing duties like doing chores and playing board games.
If you recall from earlier this year, even NVIDIA is joining the fray by having robots grace a big part of their GTC 2024 event. The company is all for advancing humanoid robot development through its general-purpose foundation model, Project GR00T. So, humanoid robots are no longer in the realm of science fiction; they are coming.
Is the Cybercar robotaxi in your future?
Unlike the announcement of a car like the Model 3 or Model Y, the rollout of a fully autonomous driving car like the Cybercar is much more complicated. The good news is that authorities in some Asian countries like Singapore and China are already experimenting with autonomous vehicles in some ways. In China especially, trials are already taking place in many locations. And even though some of Tesla's claims sound too incredible, a high-profile company like them making noise about robotaxis can only be a good thing for the future of autonomous vehicles.
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