Elon Musk readies robo-taxi he’s betting Tesla’s future on
- by TechCentral
- Oct 10, 2024
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For the Cybercab to work, Tesla will need to make major strides in artificial intelligence.
Thousands of existing Tesla owners have for years been paying thousands of dollars for a suite of features the company markets as Full Self-Driving, or FSD. The company’s driver-assistance features require constant supervision and don’t make its vehicles autonomous.
The CEO is also expected to talk about Tesla’s plans to develop FSD for its Semi truck, and how he sees the technology being used to haul cargo, two people familiar said. However, there won’t be any demos of the Semi using FSD at the event, the people said, asking not to be identified because they weren’t authorised to speak.
Regulation
Assuming Tesla can pull off the necessary technological breakthroughs, it will need regulatory approval to launch.
Tesla notably opted to hold its robotaxi unveiling at a Warner Bros lot with non-public roads. Offering a commercial passenger service with autonomous vehicles in California requires a deployment permit Tesla hasn’t applied for. Its competitors are further ahead in this respect.
Business model
Musk has described the service he wants to offer as working something like a combination of Uber Technologies and Airbnb. (Joe Gebbia, an Airbnb co-founder, joined Tesla’s board two years ago.)
Individual Tesla owners would be able to lend their vehicles to a Tesla fleet when they’re not using them. Those cars would be supplemented by the purpose-built robotaxi to meet demand.
Optimus
Musk has been focused on expanding the capabilities and eventually producing a humanoid robot, called Optimus.
Given the “We, Robot” event name, the CEO is expected to give some sort of update on the product, which he’s said will be manufactured in limited quantities starting next year.
Cheaper cars
Although much of the hype leading up to the event revolves around the robo-taxi, Tesla has a more immediate issue: it’s on track to record its first ever annual vehicle sales decline.
Tesla delivered just shy of 463 000 cars and trucks in the third quarter, missing analyst estimates. The company has had little to say about more affordable models first teased in April and slated for production next year.
The company has said these vehicles will be built on existing production lines, so they could just be cheaper versions of its best-selling Model 3 sedan or Model Y sport utility vehicle. — Dana Hull, Kara Carlson and Ed Ludlow, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP
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