Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has just unveiled the highly awaited Cybercab – the RoboTaxi of the future – at Warner Bros studios in Burbank, California.
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Finished with wing-like doors and no steering or pedals, the car had whisked Musk onto the stage in front of a receptive audience, where he gave his take on the project as being key to the future at Tesla. At the event entitled “We, Robot,” Musk emphasized his belief that fully autonomous vehicles would surpass human-manned ones and could even allow owners to earn money by renting them out as ride services.
Production Time & Estimated Price
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Many viewed Musk’s timeline estimate of beginning production “before 2027” with scepticism, as he has frequently missed his deadlines. He once called himself optimistic about timeframes. He also unveiled the price for the Cybercab to be less than $30,000 (£23,000), but analysts questioned the likelihood of that price. Forrester Research’s Paul Miller said: “Without subsidies or losses on each vehicle, that price certainly appears unreachable this decade.”
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Musk also forecasted “fully autonomous unsupervised” technology for Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y next year in Texas and California, pending the regulators’ approval. However, experts doubt its safety because Tesla uses cameras alone, while most of its competitors use more expensive radars and Lidar sensors. According to Samitha Samaranayake, an associate professor of engineering at Cornell University, the research community is yet to be convinced that Tesla’s approach will be safe.
Competitors of This Program
The unveiling of the Cybercab program was also moved from August, which Musk said needed design changes. Meanwhile, other RoboTaxi services from rivals such as Waymo have already hit the road states across the United States. On the other hand, the increasingly crowded electric automobile market threatens to reduce Tesla’s yearly sales.
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Tuesday’s event, though, was heavy on spectacle: flying Tesla humanoid robots and the introduction of another prototype, the “Robovan,” which can carry as many as 20 passengers. The sleek shuttle, Musk said, was one potentially coming mode of transportation.
It’s only fair to say analysts reacted with everything from praise to questions. Accordingly, Musk unveiled an exciting template for transportation in the future according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. Jessica Caldwell with Edmunds expressed she didn’t think it would ever make it into practical, feasible transportation. She noted that many questions remain about how this vision will be realized.
Problems Related to This Program
Reversals have also affected the wider RoboTaxi industry. Authorities suspended a General Motors Cruise RoboTaxi in San Francisco after it hit a pedestrian. However, the sector is expanding. Waymo plans to add the Hyundai Ioniq 5 to its fleet. While Uber is increasing its investments in self-driving cars. China’s Baidu is reportedly considering international expansion for its Apollo Go RoboTaxi business.
