Tesla Reveals Autonomous Robotaxi and Robovan, Plans 2025 Self-Driving Launch

CEO Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s new line of self-driving autos, together with its new Robotaxi and Robovan, with greater than three million folks tuning into the corporate’s We, Robotic occasion.

“One of many issues that we need to do, and we have seen this with the Cybertruck,” Musk mentioned Thursday night time in the course of the firm’s occasion at Warner Brother Studios in Los Angeles. “We need to change the look of the roads. The long run ought to appear like the long run.”

Musk mentioned Tesla envisions an thrilling, enjoyable way forward for transportation, in distinction to the grim, dystopian visions typically depicted in science fiction just like the Bladerunner sequence.

“I really like Blade Runner, however I do not know if we wish that future,” he mentioned. “I believe we wish that duster he’s carrying, however not the grim apocalypse.”

The presentation that acquired off to a late begin as a result of an emergency on the venue showcased 50 absolutely autonomous Tesla autos that got here with out a steering wheel or gasoline and brake pedals.

The displaying was geared toward demonstrating the corporate’s progress in self-driving know-how. For these hoping to personal a cybercab, Musk mentioned the autos will retail for beneath $30,000.

Totally autonomous self-driving will roll out in California and Texas in 2025 for the Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y, Musk mentioned, whereas the cybercab will go into manufacturing in 2026.

A shock in the course of the occasion was Tesla’s new Robovan, able to transporting as much as 20 folks or items.

Tesla’s autonomous driving know-how is powered by AI and pc imaginative and prescient, skilled on information from tens of millions of Tesla autos, which Musk mentioned makes them 10 to 30 occasions safer than a human.

“I need to emphasize that the answer that now we have is AI and imaginative and prescient, so there isn’t any expense of kit wanted,” the CEO mentioned. “So the Mannequin 3, Mannequin Y, and S that we make right this moment can be able to full autonomy, unsupervised, which signifies that our automobile manufacturing value is low.”

Musk additionally highlighted that the cybercab is not going to embody a plug. As a substitute, Tesla is creating inductive charging know-how to make autonomous robotic taxis extra environment friendly and handy.

Whereas the viewers cheered the innovation, viewers on Twitter have been fast to level out the authorized points of getting a automobile with out a steering wheel.

The occasion was additionally streamed on X and featured Tesla’s Optimus robots dancing, bartending, and mingling with attendees.

Musk mentioned the Optimus robots are supposed to be inexpensive and able to performing a variety of duties with a predicted long-term value of $20,000 to 30,000.

“All the pieces we have developed for our automobiles—the batteries, energy electronics, superior motors, gearboxes, software program, and AI inference pc—applies to a humanoid robotic utilizing the identical strategies,” Musk mentioned. “We have made a whole lot of progress with Optimus.”

As robots like Optimus turn out to be extra widespread, the price of services and products are anticipated to say no dramatically, Musk mentioned.

“Anybody will be capable of have any services and products they need,” he mentioned. “It is going to be an age of abundance, the likes of which just about nobody has envisioned.”

Musk additionally advised the viewers he envisions a future the place autonomous autos will permit cities to repurpose parking heaps and garages into inexperienced areas and parks.

“I believe it’ll be a wonderful future,” Musk mentioned. “It is gonna be actually one thing particular.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair