• by Tanya Gazdik , October 11, 2024

Tesla revealed its long-awaited driverless robotaxi prototype Thursday night at a party at the Warner Bros. Discovery studio.

The live-streamed event, which began at 7 p.m. PT with 50 minutes of techno music and trippy CGI images, was viewed by more than 3.7 million people.

The theme was “We, Robot,” a nod to the science fiction movie “I, Robot” which was set in 2035 where “highly intelligent robots fill public service positions throughout the world, operating under three rules to keep humans safe,” according to Rotten Tomatoes. 

Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk not only unveiled the Cybercab, which resembles a smaller and less angular version of the Cybertruck, but showed a prototype he called Robovan which can transport 20 passengers without a driver. Its design is a nod to a taller and wider Airstream trailer on four wheels. 

The electric Cybercabs do not have steering wheels or brake pedals and are charged via inductive charging instead of being plugged in. Consumers will be able to purchase the vehicle for under $30,000, Musk says. About 20 of them were on hand to give the partygoers rides around the 20-acre studio lot. 

“Musk also noted he expects Tesla to start doing ‘unsupervised Full Self Driving in Texas and California next year’ with the Model 3 and Model Y,” according to TechCrunch. “He acknowledged that he’s too optimistic about timelines, but said he expects the Cybercab to be in production by 2026 or ‘before 2027.’” 

Also on hand were the latest version of the Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robots, which were shown dancing and handing out gift bags.

"The Optimus will walk amongst you,” Musk said. “I think this will be the biggest product ever of any kind.” 

A bunch of Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robots walked out alongside the reveal of Tesla’s new Robovan vehicle at the event. The robot is also seen in a video doing daily human tasks like bringing in a package off the porch. The bots will eventually be for sale for around $20,000, he says.

The event offered a glimpse into how the company is attempting to reposition itself in the future, says Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ head of insights.

"Musk did a fantastic job of painting an ideal future for transportation that promises to both free up our time and increase safety," Caldwell says. "But many questions remain about how this will be achieved from a practical standpoint."

While some consumers might be receptive to a company like Tesla testing the waters and advancing autonomous technologies, there are also many non-believers who are likely wary of being forced to unwillingly participate in the science experiment of fully autonomous driving on their roads, she says. 

"Making the leap from where we are today to full autonomy (particularly through unsupervised vehicles with zero steering or pedals) is so gargantuan, technology-wise, that it feels overly ambitious in such a short period of time," Caldwell says. "Regulatory approval will be required along with major buy-in from the public in order for vehicles like the robotaxi to manifest prior to 2027 as part of the everyday consumer experience, because public safety is a major question."

The Cybercab was originally slated to be revealed in August, but has been publicly touted by Musk since 2019.

The announcement comes a week after Reuters reported on Musk's plans to create a Tesla-run autonomous ride service using vehicles owned by his customers when they are not otherwise in use.

“The event also comes at a critical time for the company's standing as its CEO and face has made a rightward lurch, effectively becoming a surrogate for the campaign of former President Donald Trump,” according to USA Today.