【Epoch Times News, October 12, 2024】- American electric car company Tesla unveiled a concept vehicle called Robotaxi, a fully automatic machine-driven taxi, on Thursday, October 10th. The Robotaxi, also known as cybercab, does not feature a steering wheel or pedals, resembling a time-traveling sports car.
The most eye-catching aspect of the car is its golden stainless steel material, sharp angles, streamlined body design, and falcon-wing doors, making it remarkably similar to the time-traveling DMC-12 car from the movie “Back to the Future.”
CEO of Tesla, billionaire Elon Musk, personally test-drove the machine-driven taxi at the event. The vehicle, designed to accommodate only two passengers, lacks a steering wheel, pedals, and rearview mirrors. Both the driver’s and passenger’s seats are identical, with only a large central screen for GPS, traffic information, and other controls.
Tesla fan Sawyer Merritt, after experiencing a ride in the Robotaxi, posted online stating, “It feels like there’s someone driving, I’m amazed. It’s truly unbelievable.” The event featured 20 Robotaxis for test rides, as well as other Tesla self-driving vehicles.
The Tesla new product launch event on Thursday took place at Warner Bros. Studios in California, themed “Us, Robots,” hinting at Tesla’s future in the autonomous vehicle field.
During his speech, Musk mentioned that he introduced the machine-driven taxi to alter the appearance of roads, stating, “The future should look like the future.” Musk revealed that the selling price of this taxi might be less than $30,000 and will be available to the public.
He explained that while the cost of a bus is around $1 per mile, the cost of the Tesla machine-driven taxi is only 20 cents per mile. “Yes, you can afford one,” he said.
Musk further disclosed Tesla’s plans to start production of the machine-driven taxi before 2027, pending regulatory approval. “I am optimistic about the timeline,” he mentioned.
Additionally, Tesla unveiled another concept vehicle, the Robovan robot bus, with a similar golden streamlined appearance resembling the German ICE high-speed train head. The bus has the capacity to carry 20 passengers or goods.
Tesla plans to introduce new battery charging technology for these two vehicles, utilizing an induction charging method that allows for charging by simply driving over a charging pad. Tesla also showcased a video of the taxi’s automatic cleaning system.
Before the machine-driven taxi hits the roads, Tesla intends to deploy the fully autonomous version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in Texas and California by 2025, which currently requires driver supervision. This version will operate on the existing Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
Musk emphasized during the event that autonomous driving cars are the future of transportation, and soon the need for humans to drive cars will become as outdated as the need for elevator operators.
He highlighted the safety of autonomous driving, mentioning that Tesla’s global fleet travels an average of 500,000 miles every 3.5 minutes. “With millions of cars on the road and training data, it will be much better than human (experimentation). It can see in all directions simultaneously, it does not get tired or text while driving, it is 10 to 20 times safer than humans,” Musk informed the audience.
However, there are still unanswered questions concerning the commercial model for offering machine-driven taxi services that many investors are concerned about. Musk only broadly described the future vision.
He mentioned that one day, Uber and Lyft drivers will be supervising a fleet of machine-driven taxis, caring for these vehicles like “shepherds.”
Following the unveiling event, Tesla’s stock dropped by 6%. Nevertheless, since Musk announced this news in early April, the stock price has accumulated an increase of 52%.