Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced the company’s highly anticipated Cybercab, an autonomous vehicle expected to retail for less than $30,000. Musk also announced plans to launch autonomous driving capabilities for Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y cars in California and Texas by next year.
Dressed in his signature black leather jacket, Musk arrived in the Cybercab alongside a person clad in a space suit, setting a futuristic tone for the event. Attendees were treated to a spectacle featuring humanoid robots mingling, dancing, and even serving drinks, emphasizing Musk’s vision for a tech-driven future.
Despite the excitement, skepticism loomed over the announcements, as fully self-driving vehicles had been touted for nearly a decade, with robotaxis expected for five years. At the event, Musk showcased 20 Cybercabs, along with 50 fully autonomous vehicles available for attendees to test drive across the 20-acre venue.
Musk revealed that the Cybercab will operate without traditional controls—no steering wheel or pedals—relying instead on inductive charging technology. He described the vehicle’s computing power as being “overspecced,” likening it to Amazon Web Services’ distributed network.
While the Cybercab is set for production in 2026, Musk assured attendees that it would be ready “before 2027,” humorously admitting, “I tend to be a little optimistic with timeframes.”
Musk envisions a world where parking lots transform into parks, and passengers can relax in a “comfortable little lounge” as they are transported to their destinations. He suggested that these autonomous vehicles could operate as ride-sharing services when not in use, creating a new ecosystem of transportation.
Additionally, Musk announced a new autonomous vehicle, the Robovan, designed to transport up to 20 people or goods, though details about its pricing and production timeline remain sparse.
With Tesla aiming to transition its Model 3 and Model Y to unsupervised self-driving by next year, Musk asserted that autonomous cars could be significantly safer than human drivers. “With that amount of training data,” he stated, “it’ll be 10, 20, 30 times safer than a human.”
While Tesla faces challenges, including a class action lawsuit from owners over promised self-driving capabilities and scrutiny from regulators, Musk remains undeterred. As the event concluded, a group of robots entertained the audience with a performance set to Daft Punk’s Robot Rock, embodying Musk’s vision of a future where humans and robots coexist.
For further details, visit the original article here.