Tesla’s robotaxi event was long on Musk promises, short on details
Al Jazeera
Elon Musk said Tesla will eventually make humanoid robots for sale.
For a businessman who perpetually struggles with broken promises, Elon Musk has given himself quite a to-do list at Tesla’s long-awaited Hollywood unveiling of its driverless robotaxis.
After traversing the fake streets of the Warner Bros movie studio set in a sleek, silver two-door “Cybercab” prototype, Musk promised on Thursday night that the company’s popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles would be able to operate without driver supervision in California and Texas by next year.
Musk said the company would start building the fully autonomous Cybercab by 2026 at a price of less than $30,000, and showed off a robovan capable of transporting 20 people around town – which he said would reshape cities by “turning parking lots into parks”.
Later came the dancing humanoid robots that also mixed drinks at the bar, which Musk said Tesla will also eventually sell for $20,000 to $30,000 each. “I think this will be the biggest product ever, of any kind,” he declared.
Thursday night’s electronic dance music-infused event had the signature trappings of Musk’s salesmanship, but some Tesla investors and experts said they were hoping for more concrete details on how the company plans to transform from a carmaker into an autonomous driving and artificial intelligence titan with a solid business plan.
