Elon Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it ‘before 2027’
- by Business Recorder
- Oct 11, 2024
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“I think this will be the biggest product ever of any kind,” he said, adding that he expected the robot to retail for $20,000 to $30,000.
He gave no timeline on this, either, and it was not clear from the livestream what the robot’s capabilities were, although it was shown walking amongst audience members, handing out plaques and serving drinks.
Trump
Musk’s bullish pronouncements and dedicated fanbase have helped build Tesla into one of the world’s most valuable companies.
While he was once the darling of the political left for his environmentalist moves towards electrifying transport, he has become increasingly controversial.
And he’s currently spending time and money promoting Republican Donald Trump, echoing the billionaire presidential candidate’s dire warnings about migrants and a crumbling America, including during an exuberant appearance at a weekend Trump rally that was widely mocked.
Thursday night’s robotaxi reveal was a long time coming.
Musk first said in 2016 a fully automated car was two years away; a year later he was touting a vehicle by 2019 so clever that customers would be able to sleep while it drove them around.
But as many automakers have found, self-driving is tricky.
While lots of cars nowadays have limited automation, theoretically allowing the driver to cede some of the boring bits of driving to an onboard computer, the person behind the wheel still has to pay attention and jump in if the car does something unpredictable.
That’s because computers, unlike people, are not very good at reacting to unexpected events or situations they have never seen before.
Other companies, such as Google’s Waymo and General Motors’ Cruise, have operated heavily regulated and limited pilot robotaxi programs for a few years already.
Anything Tesla tries to put on the road will face the same kind of regulatory hurdles, as well as skepticism from the general public, many of whom have never seen a car without a driver.
Immediate reaction to the reveals was mixed.
“Delusional nonsense from a liar who has been promising a robotaxi every year for a decade,” wrote user goodandnormal on X.
Others on the platform were more enthusiastic, with some predicting that Tesla’s share price will soar when US markets open.
“Tesla self-driving ‘Robovan.’ The future looks promising,” wrote CollinsEbot1.
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