The company is finally unveiling its latest product: the long-awaited robotaxi. Dubbed the Tesla Cybercab, the vehicle’s design harks back to the more famous Cybertruck and sets it on wheels with the latest autonomous driving tech. Production for this vehicle should be up by 2027. In theory, this project has been in the works for years, as part of Elon Musk’s bold scheme to shift Tesla from being a pure car company to being a robotic products manufacturer.
The Tesla Cybercab has a two-seater inside, and this image is owed minimalistic styling inside and out. No talk of powertrains has come out so far. What’s the Tesla Cybercab?
Musk has confirmed that the special Cybercab will be produced before 2027. As this one does not have any steering wheel or pedals, the production could start only after all the regulatory clearances are in place.
Similar to other Tesla models, Cybercab gets a minimalist interior layout, seating two people, and a large centrally mounted screen controlling almost all functions, just like Model 3 and Model Y.
On the outside, it is dressed with a single full-width LED light bar, much like in the case of the Cybertruck, putting it on an equal footing as a futuristic vehicle. It is similar to other Tesla models, especially the Model Y, for its design elements, creases, and wide rear shoulders. It even marks the first for any Tesla: butterfly doors.
At the rear, it features a large boot, but, as with the Cybertruck, there is no rear window. Full-wheel covers are also included in the car, and Tesla states that these aid in removing more mileage. At the moment, the brand still hasn’t given any information on how it will be powered and what specifications may come along with the car.
TESLA had given an idea earlier by saying that they are planning on entering the Indian market, but so far, not much has been developed.
In 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was confident that Tesla would have one million autonomous robotaxis running on public roads by the end of 2020; observers noted that “this means turning existing Tesla vehicles sold into autonomous vehicles”.
Since around 2020, Tesla has publicly announced a mass-market electric car product that would come after the Model Y and would be significantly cheaper than the Model 3.
In 2022, Musk was arguing in-house for the robotaxi to be Tesla’s next vehicle but by September 2022, he had reluctantly acquiesced to the recommendation of Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy that the next-generation vehicle platform should include not only a small, inexpensive, mass-market car but also a robotaxi that would have no steering wheel at all and that both could be produced on the platform and the same next-generation vehicle assembly line.
Publicly in October 2022, the company noted that the Tesla engineering team had shifted its focus to the new platform and that the company expects the platform will allow cars to be half of the price of the Tesla Model 3 or Y.
In April 2024, Musk announced that the Robotaxi reveal was going to come in August, then delayed again to October.