Tesla has finally revealed its long-promised 'Robotaxi' – a compact, self-driving coupé that shows the firm's vision for a global fleet of autonomous vehicles.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed off the autonomous Cybercab concept at an event in the US overnight, alongside a larger self-driving 20-seat van that's dubbed the Robovan.
The two vehicles, which have no steering wheels or pedals, are planned to operate using artificial intelligence and cameras rather than lidar sensors and in-built mapping software, as is more common on other autonomous vehicles.
They will also be capable of charging wirelessly, said Musk, so don't have charging ports like Tesla's conventional cars.
Touting the benefits of self-driving technology at an exclusive event called 'We Robot' in California, Musk said: “Think about the cumulative time that people spend in a car, and the time they will get back that they can now spend on their books or watching a movie or doing work or whatever.”
To that end, the Cybercab's cockpit is a minimalist affair, with two seats, two cupholders, an armrest and a large central touchscreen similar to that in the Model 3. There's also a large boot at the rear – but following in the footsteps of the prismatic Cybertruck, the Cybercab has no rear window.
Musk said Tesla hopes to be producing the Cybercab by 2027 and selling it to consumers at a projected $30,000 (£23,000) but offered no categoric timeline for the Robovan. He did not confirm any plans to launch the vehicles outside the US.
En route to putting the two new self-driving vehicles in production, Tesla plans to have "unsupervised" FSD (full self-driving) technology certified for use in the Model 3 and Model Y by 2025.
The firm has recently rebranded its current-generation FSD software as 'supervised', meaning a human driver must be 'hands on' in the car and paying attention to the road at all times, after US safety authorities expressed concerns over the AI-powered system's ability to respond to unpredictable scenarios.
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Looks like a wooden toy car.
We are coming to the time where you won't necessarily need to learn how to drive?, well, yes, in the distant future, you might not own a car, if transport becomes fully automated it won't matter what it looks like, it might matter with what's inside, probably like mobile house or a mobile office,even cooking facilities, travelling will be as white goods, something we take for granted not a coveted possession,and, why shouldn't we like to actually drive?, I find it relaxing, changing my own gears, making my own decisions,so this is Elons vision is it?, the car still em er looks like a car, the multi seater?, em it's a bit Blade runner for my taste,and as someone commented, a steering wheel would be comforting, i guess the only benefit I see is less collisions caused by humans.
This could be quite an appealing little vehicle given the dearth of 2-seater coupes currently available. If only it had a steering wheel. At least then some of us could pretend we knew how to drive!