Electric vehicle brand Tesla has announced what it calls the Cybercab, which is a robotaxi that looks like a more sensible take on the Cybertruck. Well, at least on the outside, because on the inside it’s basically the dream or nightmare of fully autonomous vehicles made manifest.
The quality of the Cybercab that makes it so is the fact that it has no steering wheels or paddles, so you’re trusting the car completely to take you to your destination safely. It’s an idea that Tesla shared with Apple, before the fruit brand canned its own project. One element that does set it apart though is its lack of charging port, as it uses inductive, or wireless, charging.
As part of the Cybercab launch, Tesla owner Elon Musk claims that “autonomous cars are going to become 10 times safer”. Which is a claim that should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering the way the marketing for Full Self-Driving flip-flopped over the years.
On that note though, Musk did say during the event that the Tesla Model 3 and Y will be the first to be getting fully autonomous unsupervised Full Self-Driving, though no specific date was provided. As for the Cybercab itself, he says that it is expected to go into production before 2027.
Also unveiled alongside the Cybercab is the Tesla Robovan, which is essentially the van version of the Cybercab in function. But it looks to take things a bit further as instead of a windscreen, it has a screen that shows things to passengers like a TV. It also has four rows of seats that can carry up to 20 passengers. On the outside though, it looks like a concept vehicle more than a production one, with a general silhouette of an iron with light strips.
Circling back to the Cybercab though, Musk says that Tesla expects to sell it for under US$30,000 (~RM129,000) to go with the 2027 production date. neither of these figures were shared for the Robovan.
(Source: Tesla / X [1], [2])
