Tesla Introduces Self-Driving Fleet of Robotaxi and Robovan, Promising Affordable Autonomy

In a highly anticipated event, Tesla unveiled Thursday its robotaxi with no pedals nor steering wheel. The production of the “Cybercab” will start in 2026 and be priced below $30,000 and Tesla presented it as the “premium point-to-point transportation”. Tesla’s robotaxi is designed with wing doors and a large trunk and no rear window. The chief executive Elon Musk said the model will have an estimated cost of operation of $0.20 a mile adding it will be ten to thirty times safer than a human driver.

Unsupervised Full Self Driving (FSD) will launch next year in California and Texas starting with the Model 3 and the Model Y, Musk stated. Additionally, Musk revealed the robovan, an autonomous vehicle capable of carrying up to twenty people with no visible wheels. The company is set to report its third-quarter earnings on October 23, with a conference call scheduled for 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Tesla shares closed at $238 on Thursday, a few hours before the event was held.