Tesla Unveils Autonomous Taxis and Bus

At the “We, Robot” event, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk showcased the Optimus robots, the driverless Cybercab taxi, and the Robovan prototype—an electric autonomous vehicle resembling a bus.

The Cybercab features two “gull-wing” doors, lacks a steering wheel, pedals, and a standard charging port. Instead, it employs “inductive charging” without wires.

Production is expected to commence in 2026 or “by 2027.” The price will be under $30,000, noted the entrepreneur.

The Robovan boasts a futuristic design, capable of transporting up to 20 people and luggage. The release date and price of the vehicle remain unknown.

The vehicle does not have a steering wheel as it is fully autonomous.

“We want to change the face of roads. The future should look like the future,” Musk remarked.

He stated that fully autonomous driving for the Model 3 and Model Y will begin in California and Texas in 2025. The technology is based on artificial intelligence and computer vision, which “makes driving 10-30 times safer than human driving.”

Musk also introduced the humanoid Optimus robots, noting that their price will range from $20,000 to $30,000. The bots mingled with attendees at the event, danced, conversed with guests, and made cocktails.

Optimus just made me a drink pic.twitter.com/Pn9hfhrFDi

— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) October 11, 2024

“We have made significant progress with Optimus,” Musk said.

In 2025, Tesla will launch limited production of humanoid robots and begin testing them at its factories. The company’s head believes they will boost Tesla’s market capitalization to $25 trillion.

Tesla introduced the humanoid robot in 2021. In December 2023, the company showcased the Optimus Gen 1 model.