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Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed a prototype of the company’s first fully driverless vehicle tonight during its long-awaited robotaxi event. The new vehicle is dubbed the Cybercab, and Tesla let guests at the event ride around in them at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. The night’s surprise, however, was a brand-new “Robovan” transport vehicle that can be configured as “mass transit” or a cargo carrier.
For years, Musk has been promising that a driverless Tesla vehicle was just “two years away.” Many delays later, Musk has shown fans and investors something. Their reaction to the “We, Robot” event will be a referendum on whether Musk can deliver real self-driving technology that can compete with robotaxi companies like Waymo and Cruise.
You can find out more about what Tesla announced at the event with our live coverage below.
Tesla awarded ride-hail permit in California, a first step for robotaxis
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
The Optimus robots at Tesla’s Cybercab event were humans in disguise
Tesla made sure its Optimus robots were a big part of its extravagant, in-person Cybercab reveal last week. The robots mingled with the crowd, served drinks to and played games with guests, and danced inside a gazebo. Seemingly most surprisingly, they could even talk. But it was mostly just a show.
It’s obvious when you watch the videos from the event, of course. If Optimus really was a fully autonomous machine that could immediately react to verbal and visual cues while talking, one-on-one, to human beings in a dimly lit crowd, that would be mind-blowing.
Here’s what its like to ride in a Tesla Cybercab.
Interestingly, the UX seems to prioritize video streaming over any kind of trip visualization. Tesla seems to think people would rather watch movies than be assured their driverless car can see other cars and pedestrians. (They’re probably right, too.)
The Tesla Cybercab is a cool-looking prototype that needed to be much more than that
Image: Tesla
Investors not convinced.
Tesla shares are trading down as much as six percent premarket, a few hours after digesting the Cybercabs and ruBOvehns.
Missed Tesla’s Cybercab event?
Check out our video highlighting the most important parts.
The Optimus robots can talk, apparently.
The Cybercab and the Robovan.
Why didn’t Tesla call it the Cybervan?
Here’s an Optimus bartender.
It’s wearing a cowboy hat, for some reason.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Ok that’s a wrap!
Lots to parse. A few surprises. But as we’ve said before, the robotaxis are operating in a highly controlled setting and none of this is guaranteed to launch when Musk predicts it will. So stay tuned.
Tesla’s Optimus bot makes a scene at the robotaxi event
Image: Tesla
A bunch of Tesla’s humanoid Optimus robots walked out alongside the reveal of Tesla’s new Robovan vehicle at tonight’s Cybercab event. The robot is also seen in a video doing daily human tasks like bringing in a package from the porch and watering your plants.
“The Optimus will walk amongst you,” Tesla CEO
Elon Musk says. “You’ll be able to walk right up to them, and they will serve drinks.”
The robots are now dancing to Daft Punk.
They’re doing the robot. What else?
Tesla’s Optimus robot is serving drinks.
The bots will be mingling with guests at the event, Musk says, who implores his guests to “be nice” to the robots.
And yes, there’s a robovan.
Elon is putting the emphasis on the “bo” in robovan, so I wasn’t quite sure what he was saying at first. But yeah, it’s obviously not a conventional looking van.
Cybercab doesn’t have a plug.
The robotaxi will charge wirelessly through an inductive charger, Musk says. Tesla has long teased wireless charging for its EVs.
Tesla’s Robovan is the surprise of the night
Image: Tesla
Tesla CEO Elon Musk surprised attendees of the “We, Robot” event by presenting a new, unexpected vehicle: a passenger van.
Of course, it was far from a conventional van. The Tesla Robovan (Musk pronounces it ruh-BO-vehn) looked like something out of an Art Deco fever dream, with a sleek train engine-like shape and no visible wheels. Musk said that the vehicle could carry up to 20 people or be used to transport goods.
Again, we’re getting the pitch for ‘inference compute.’
This is becoming a running theme with Musk: the idea that the unused compute power of millions of idle Tesla vehicles could be used like Amazon’s cloud service business. Of course, it’s not that easy.
“I think it’s going to be a glorious future.”
Elon says he plans on starting fully autonomous Model 3 and Model Y trips in Texas and California “next year.” Cybercab won’t go into production until “2026... before 2027.”
“And yes, you’ll be able to buy one.”
Cheers as Musk says the cost will be “below $30,000.” Take that with a huge grain of salt.
“With autonomy, you get your time back. This is a very big deal.”
Elon selling autonomous cars as a time saver, which is a very familiar argument for anyone who has been paying attention to the AV industry.
OK here it is. The Tesla robotaxi.
Elon gets in. It’s driving him through the film lot. There are 20 of them on the lot, and another 30 driverless Model Ys.
Tesla Cybercab announced: Elon Musk’s robotaxi is finally here
Image: Tesla
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a new electric vehicle dedicated to self-driving, a possible milestone after years of false promises and blown deadlines.
The robotaxi is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle, lacking a steering wheel or pedals, meaning it will need approval from regulators before going into production. The design was futuristic, with doors that open upward like butterfly wings and a small cabin with only enough space for two passengers. There was no steering wheel or pedals, nor was there a plug — Musk said the vehicle charges inductively to regain power wirelessly.
A line must be drawn.
Don’t do Hayao Miyazaki like this.
“Has it started yet?”
That’s what my wife just asked me about this event, which was supposed to begin FIFTY ONE MINUTES AGO.
(The answer is no, it hasn’t.)
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