October 10, 2024, Tesla unveil its robotaxi called the Cybercab. The driverless vehicle is expected to cost $30k. Since this is not a firm order, price is only an estimate and could be higher. A recent example is Cybertruck which was introduced at $50k but as of today only the Foundation series is on sale and it starts at $94,490 for a dual motor version and price includes FSD. The car features two gulf wing style doors but has only two seats. As a cab, the design choice of two seats is unusual. It’s not clear if primary reasons for removing three backseats to reduce cost. The obvious downside is the Cybercab will not able to give rides to larger groups. The family of four who needs to hail a ride from the airport will need two Cybercabs and is definitely not ideal. The shape of the car looks very much like a Model 3 with steering wheel and brake, accelerator pedals removed.
Cybercab’s design goals according to Tesla presentation are:
Point to Point Transportation
Most Affordable
Cheapest to operate
Cybercab’s reduces cost of ownership by being more useful more times of the week by offering rides around the clock. This compare to typical cars that are parked most of the time.
For Cybercabs to work, unsupervised FSD must be robust. Tesla continue to deploy FSD with vision only. (Development may use lidar or other sensors.) FSD in theory can become safer than a human. FSD will be trained on the collective driving experience of millions of other drivers. FSD can mimic the experiences and could be safer. In common situations, FSD should be safer than human driver because computers will never be distracted, get tired, or sick. The one caution is FSD may encounter an unusual situation it has never seen before and may make a mistake. In contrast, humans using logic and general intelligence can make the right choice. Once advice might be to take Cybercabs in simple situations avoid them in unusual weather or road conditions.
The Cybercab is now featured on the main page of the US Tesla.com website.
Also introduced at the event is a Robovan capable of 20 passengers. No date was announced.
At the event, Optimus robots was also showed and mingled with guests. The robots showed off their dexterity by dancing, walking and serve drinks. There’s a good chance the humanoid robots are tele operated.
Timeline
Unsupervised FSD is expected in California and Texas sometime in 2025 using Model 3 and Model Y, S, X, and Cybertruck. They will be using overspec’ed AI5 chips. When idle, Elon Musk thinks he can sell the compute as a cloud service when the car is not running. Elon Musk predicts Cybercab to enter production before 2027. He cautioned he tends to be optimistic. That has been his track record. The Tesla Roadsters has not yet entered production.