• Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils Cybercab design as low-slung, two-seater and sporty coupe at a LA event on Oct 10th.
  • Many argued that the two-door design are narrowing Tesla’s appeal to niche clientele.

What happened

Tesla reveals the Robotaxi at a event near LA on Oct 10th. The Robotaxi is design with low-slung, two-seater, sporty coupe features. Musk said these will go to production expecting 2026 with $30,000 per car.

Tesla’s plans this year is to build a smaller, cheaper vehicle to slow down the EV demand thus to reach the company’s autonomy ambitions. Musk predicts that the cost of 20 cents per mile over time for the Cybercab and Robotaxi will be made cheaper than mass transit.

Many researchers and investors questions the the idea of a two-seated cab for pratical issues. The focus of questioning lies on the issue of cab’s room and its accessbility to the the disabillities. Public opinion on Robotaxi’s feature is mainly lies on how Cybercab’s two-seater feature seems to narrow Tesla’s appeal to only the niche clientele.

Also read: https://btw.media/en/tech-trendstesla-to-launch-a-robot-taxi-service-using-dojo/

Also read: https://btw.media/en/it-infrastructurecanada-imposes-100-tariff-on-chinese-evs-including-teslas/

Why it’s important

The concept of Robotaxi introduces a future with commuter veichles equipped with artificial intelligence and cameras such as Lidar, are leading the market of automatic transportation. This year’s re-introduction of producing ‘Cybercab’ Robotaxi provoke many critical responds and questioning on the feasibility of mass-production and the guarantee of the safety and cost-efficiency.

According to the automaker, the average cost of a bus ride is about a dollar per mile, whereas the Cybercab would cost 20 cents per mile. After factoring in taxes it would probably be 30-40 cents per mile. (https://insideevs.com/news/736936/tesla-robotaxi-cybercab-price/)

The much cheaper price of Tesla’s Cybercab $30,000 compared to Tesla Model 3 which priced at $45,000 gives an big price advantage to this self-driving Cybercab. Also, Tesla provides more options for buyers with Robovan which can carry up to 20 people to fit different needs of transportation. With noting on the promotion on self-driving and EV feature cars, Tesla welcomes the new era of the autonomous transportation if they can really stick to the plan and past the legal and saftey test, getting those ideals on the road.