Tesla Previews Autonomous Robotaxi and Robovan

At an event held at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California, Elon Musk gave the public its first look at Tesla's vision for a fully autonomous, steering-wheeless small vehicle, that is officially called the Robotaxi.

Although the preview has long been expected, it came with a surprise, a larger autonomous vehicle that looks like an Art Deco Dust Buster and is called the Robovan. Both vehicles took attendees at the unveiling for pre-mapped rides around the studio lot. While the smaller vehicle can only hold a handful of people, the latter will be able to carry up to 20 people, Musk said.

Unfortunately, Tesla provided few other details about the larger vehicle but did say that the it expects the Robotaxi to cost less than $30,000 USD ($41,250 CAD, at current exchange rates). Smaller than a Model 3, bearing no rear window, featuring sharp creases in the bodywork, and a Cybertruck-like headlight signature, the vehicle has a large screen inside and no other controls for occupants to interact with. In addition to having its wheel and pedals removed, Musk suggested that its charging port has been removed, too. Instead, the vehicle will have a wireless, inductive charging system, that will likely suit its autonomous mission.

Tesla is one of a number of companies engaged in the race to develop a fully autonomous robotaxi, including GM-backed Cruise, Google-backed Waymo, and Amazon-backed Zoox. While investors believe that these technologies will unlock profitability for ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft, the vehicles’ development has been marred by controversies, including accidents, injuries, and at least one death. Data shows that these services have not reduced congestion in the cities where they operate, and critics claim that the introduction of autonomous driving systems could worsen congestion and further entrench the problems caused by the automotive era, as empty vehicles go barrelling around cities. Tesla, in particular, has courted controversy for its decision to remove expensive radar and lidar sensors from its vehicles, and its "Autopilot" system has been linked with multiple deadly crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S.

Although Musk said last night that the Robotaxi will be “optimized” for autonomy, he did not elaborate on what that meant, and claimed that a lack of expensive equipment would make the vehicle cheaper to produce. He added, that Tesla expects to start running Model 3s and Ys with unsupervised “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) on California and Texas roads next year.

Despite Musk's claims, investors were not wooed by Tesla's event Thursday, and the company’s stock is fell by as much as 8 per cent in early trading on Friday. In addition to the Robotaxi, investors are still awaiting the unveiling of Tesla’s entry-level passenger vehicle (one with a steering wheel), that is expected to be smaller than the Model 3, and cost less than $30,000 in the U.S. Tesla has stated that it will preview the vehicle this year, and it is possible that will share much in common with the Robotaxi.

Musk, admitting that “I tend to be optimistic with time frames,” said he expects Tesla to start producing the Robotaxi in 2026. No timeline was provided for the Robovan.