Elon Musk’s flashy unveiling of ‘Cybercab’ robot leaves Tesla watchers underwhelmed
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday showed off a long-awaited robot with two gull-wing doors and no steering wheel or pedals, in a show that failed to generate much fanfare.
In a glittering unveiling, Musk took to the stage with a “Cybercab” that will be produced from 2026 – finally in high volume – and priced at less than $30,000 US. He then introduced the robovan, which he said could carry up to 20 people, although he gave few additional details.
But Musk, who has a history of losing predictions — and also said he tends to be optimistic at times — didn’t say how Tesla could ramp up production, specify inevitable regulatory hurdles or develop a business plan to leapfrog robotic rivals like Alphabet’s. Waymo.
Investors were clearly skeptical after the event – Tesla’s stock fell nearly nine percent on Friday.
Analysts and industry experts say the establishment of private taxis could take years, especially given the need to ensure safety and reliability. They pointed out the dangers involved in technology, and the difficulties it has in responding to situations such as bad weather, complex intersections and pedestrian behavior.
But Musk, wearing a leather jacket and addressing the crowds at Warner Bros. studio near Los Angeles, he revealed that autonomous vehicles can be 10 times safer than human-driven ones, and drive five to 10 times longer.
“The autonomous future is here,” Musk said. “With independence, you get your time.”
Krzysztof Czarnecki, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo, said he’s not sure Tesla’s technology exists yet.
There is a “huge gap” between what was presented Thursday and what would be needed for robotaxis to operate safely in busy city traffic, he said.
“Building a robot without a steering wheel – that’s anywhere [original equipment manufacturer] what I did today,” he said.
“What they were presenting was the mechanics of the cars and some idea. Most of that idea has been mentioned before.”
Musk previously said he plans to use a number of Tesla self-driving taxis that passengers can find through the app. Individual Tesla owners will be able to monetize the app by listing their cars as robotaxis, he said. He didn’t talk about the app at Thursday’s event, though he did paint a picture of a future where an owner might send their car to be used by others while they’re at work.
From an automaker to an AI robotics company
Event — titled “We, Robot” in a nod to the game Me, Robot The science-fiction short story collection by Isaac Asimov – echoes Musk’s comments that Tesla “should be viewed as an AI robotics company” rather than a car maker.
It started after a delay of about an hour, which Musk said was due to a medical emergency involving an attendee. This event lasted less than half an hour and was watched by about four million people on Musk’s social media platform iX alone.
“I’m a stockholder and I’m very disappointed. I think the market was looking for more accurate timelines,” said equity trader Dennis Dick at Triple D Trading. “I don’t think he talked much about anything.”
One Tesla owner who watched the event told CBC News that he found it “a bit underwhelming.”
John Dixon, president and founder of the Tesla Owners Club of Ontario, said he owns a Tesla because he believes there is “no doubt” that Tesla’s technology is ahead of its competitors.
“But I didn’t really see anything [at Thursday’s event] that was temporary, like the next year or two, right?” he said.
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Experts are skeptical
Driving a Cybercab will cost 20 cents a mile over time, and charging will be flexible, requiring no plugs, Musk said. Using robovans will cost even more – at five cents per mile.
Instead of common hardware among robotaxi competitors, such as lidar, Musk said the new vehicles will rely on artificial intelligence and cameras – traffic experts have marked as a challenge both from a technical and control point of view. Lidar uses laser pulses to create a 3D map of the vehicle’s surroundings, providing clear data about potential obstacles or entryways. Alphabet’s Waymo robotaxi uses lidar as well as cameras and radar.
Czarnecki, whose research focuses on the safety of autonomous vehicles, explained that if robotaxi technology relies only on cameras, it can make mistakes such as mistaking a shadow for an obstacle and moving suddenly. He believes that AI technology, while impressive, is not there yet.
“I would give Tesla a failing grade in safety engineering, because AI, the way it’s used [fully self-driving vehicles] and the technology that exists today, will make mistakes,” Czarnecki said.
“This is a car. If it makes a mistake, runs a red light, people get killed.”
Musk said in 2019 he was “very confident” Tesla would have robotaxis in operation by 2020. This year, he shifted focus to the Cybercab and scrapped plans to build a smaller, cheaper vehicle widely seen as key to combating slowing EV demand.
“I think what consumers want … is an affordable EV,” Dixon said. “And I’m a little disappointed that Tesla hasn’t gone there.”
Beyond cars, Musk revealed “huge progress” with Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, which could eventually perform many daily tasks and cost $20,000 to $30,000.
Tesla is at risk of posting its first-ever drop in deliveries this year as purchasing incentives failed to lure enough customers to its aging EV system, according to Reuters data based on third-quarter earnings. Price cuts aimed at reducing higher interest rates have also squeezed profit margins.
Many companies trying to break into the robotics market have lost billions of dollars, forcing some to close.
Alphabet’s Waymo, which has about 700 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in its fleet, is the only US company that operates autonomous robots that collect fares.
Self-driving technology
Amazon’s Zoox is testing purpose-built vehicles that look like toaster ovens on wheels and don’t have manual controls. General Motors’ Cruise, which uses the Chevrolet Bolt EV, this year put on hold plans to develop the self-driving Origin without controls.
Tesla’s approach to fully self-driving (FSD) technology, in its current iteration, requires constant driver attention but keeps costs low. However, it has faced legal scrutiny, with at least two fatal accidents involving the technology.
“We expect to launch independent, unsupervised FSD in Texas and California next year,” Musk said. “That’s for the Model 3 and the Model Y.”
He did not say whether the Cybercab uses FSD or new technology.
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