Tesla CyberCab.
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The first two photos above show the early development of the upcoming RoboTaxi from Tesla. The bottom image is a more recent illustration, showing what it might look like.
After rumors of Tesla canceling their future compact model, crazy Elon Musk announced we would see their next all-new model very soon. On August 8th. And it will be the RoboTaxi (or CyberCab) he’s been mentioning for the past few years and not the compact everyone was expecting.
The Robotaxi and the compact model were supposed to share the same all-new platform. That has apparently changed with the possible cancelation of the smaller model. But Musk is still pushing his new obsession, the Robo Tax. Which could be, at best, a niche vehicle. Since the self-driving tech is still years away from being usable on a daily basis. (While the world is ready right now for a $ 25,000 new compact Tesla model.)
The new CyberCab would be the car used for the new ride-hailing service from Tesla. Which is intended to compete against Uber and Lyft, with a fleet of CyperCabs self-driving cars. This is an idea reminiscent of a famous scene in the 1990 film Total Recall. It does sound cool except for the fact that Tesla’s self-driving technology is again, years away from being ready for something like this. It also means it might not be available to the public.
While the actual production-ready CyberCab is far from ready for primetime, Musk did mention new models were on the way. Using a mix of the current and future platforms. And we could see these new models as soon as late this year, or early 2025.
Sure…
Working on a new platform takes much longer than a few months and this is probably another brain fart from Musk. It will be interesting to see what the actual CyberCab prototype looks like, and especially fascinating to hear all the BS presentations associated with it on August 8th. It could be as close to a PT Barnum show as we’ve seen in many, many years. The closest thing to vaporware since the second-generation Tesla Roadster we saw back in 2017. (Yes, that’s 7 years ago!). Back when production was supposed to start in 2020…
It will also be interesting to see how Tesla will deal with the firing of its entire Super Charger team. Especially at a time when all manufacturers have committed to the Tesla charging network in the US.
An erratic half-witted billionaire in charge of things is always an compelling thing to watch, isn’t it…
dystopian…
As a disabled person, I have to ask: WTF?
I have no idea how I would get in and out of this thing without help and a ton of pain. Shameful.
*DING DING DING DING DING!* you win the prize for Correct Assessment of Elon Musk.
But you forgot “greedy and controlling”. Its like theatre of the absurd.
Having taken quite a few rides in robot piloted Waymo’s in SF, I don’t know that self driving cars are all that far away. Whether Tesla is anywhere close to the sensor festooned Waymo car is another question. Seems unlikely… but they do have an awful lot of data on the millions of Tesla’s on the road…so that’s something.