After years of teases, Tesla is finally about to pull back the curtain on one of its quirkiest products yet.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will unveil the ‘Robotaxi’ at an event in Los Angeles on Thursday (October 10).
Also referred to as ‘Cybercab’, the taxi is expected to be fully driverless – with no steering wheel or pedals – and offer a new Tesla-operated ride-hailing service.
Ahead of its official unveiling, ChatGPT has provided a glimpse at what Tesla’s Robotaxi could look like.
The chatbot’s artistic impression features two seats for passengers, a silver steel body and a camera on the roof for sensing its surroundings.
According to ChatGPT, which has provided an artistic depiction based on available information, Robotaxi will feature two seats for passengers and a camera on the top
Tesla’s event promo image features a close-up of a digital camera lens that looks like an eye – possibly representing the eye of a robot or an artificial intelligence (AI) system
Billionaire Musk has already confirmed the unveiling event on Thursday, which is dubbed ‘We Robot’, thought to be a reference to the film ‘I Robot’.
On X, he posted an image of the official event invite with the caption: ‘This will be one for the history books.’
Tesla’s image features a close-up of a digital camera lens that looks like an eye – possibly the eye of a robot or an AI system and a hint at the vehicle’s traffic detection capabilities.
Commentators have compared it to one of the most famous AIs in cinematic history – the evil HAL from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.
Although the exact name of the upcoming vehicle is to be confirmed, Musk has referred to it as ‘Cybercab’, suggesting it could be similar in appearance to Tesla’s Cybertruck.
There’s no official word on how much it would cost, but it could be similar to Cybertruck, which retails for around $80,000 (£60,000) or more.
Musk’s concept of a Robotaxi, mooted nearly a decade ago, is a self-driving vehicle and an alternative to the manned taxis lining the world’s streets.
Passengers could request a Robotaxi ride through an app, similar to Uber or Lyft, and be transported from A to B without having to interact with any driver – because there isn’t one.
Tesla’s promo image features a close-up of a digital camera lens that looks like an eye which has been compared to one of the most famous AIs in cinematic history – the evil HAL from Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
Musk’s concept of a Robotaxi, mooted nearly a decade ago, is a self-driving vehicle and an alternative to the manned taxi’s lining the world’s streets
The Robotaxi owner, meanwhile, would be able to send their vehicle out to make the trip, rather than having to get in the vehicle and drive it themselves, with the tap of an app.
Theoretically, people could buy multiple Robotaxis from Tesla and send them all out to perform different trips at the same time – making money from the comfort of their own armchair.
Musk previously tweeted: ‘Much more productive to manage a fleet of Robotaxis than only drive one taxi yourself.’
For the passenger, trips could cost less than a bus ticket, according to Musk, while the money would go mostly to the Robotaxi owner (Tesla would get a certain percentage of each fee).
But aside from potentially putting taxi drivers out of business, Robotaxi’s lack of human driver could prove concerning for customers.
The exact name is to be confirmed, but Musk has referred to it as ‘Cybercab’, suggesting it could be similar in appearance to Tesla’s Cybertruck (pictured)
For Tesla, the ultimate quest is bringing fully self-driving capability to its vehicles – known in the industry as level 5 autonomy.
Currently, Tesla vehicles have intelligent autonomous features that assist a human driver, but are nowhere near to taking to the road without someone behind the wheel.
Potentially, the We Robot event could announce a breakthrough bringing us closer to level 5, allowing Robotaxi to be actually used.
However, Tesla would need also need regulatory approval in states and countries to get his Robotaxi vision up and running.
What we know about Robotaxi is from rumours and information from Elon Musk, who has teased the vehicle over the years.
Back in April 2022, he revealed that he hoped to start mass production of the Robotaxi in 2024 – although this timeframe may have been shifted back.
He said at the time: ‘We are also working on a new vehicle that I alluded to at the Giga Texas opening, which is a dedicated Robotaxi.
‘It is going to be highly optimised for autonomy – meaning it will not have a steering wheel or pedals.
Elon Musk said the unveiling event – set to showcase the Robotaxi – will be ‘one for the history books’
Theoretically, people could buy multiple Robotaxis from Tesla and send them all out to perform different trips at the same time
‘Looking at some of our projections, it would appear that a robotaxi ride will cost less than a bus ticket, a subsidized bus ticket or a subsidized subway ticket.’
Musk also teased ‘a number of other innovations’ included in the new vehicle that he said ‘are quite exciting’ but didn’t give further detail.
It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that Tesla’s Cybertruck became available to customers in November last year – nearly four years after its first unveiling.
The $80,000 Cybertruck is a ultra-resilient all-electric pick-up truck covered in stainless steel, although it’s faced safety and performance complaints from buyers.
Tesla has already announced but not released other products, including the heavy-duty Semi truck, the Cyberquad quad bike and the Optimus robot.
