Elon Musk is expected to announce details of Tesla’s robotaxi project Thursday, including a possible foray into self-driving semitrucks.
According to reports Wednesday, Tesla’s “We, Robot” event will kick off the electric vehicle company’s venture into robotaxis. Mr. Musk is expected to unveil the Cybercab and announce that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology will be coming to semitrucks.
The Cybercab is rumored to have butterfly-wing doors, two front seats and a steering wheel. Tesla plans to integrate the Cybercab with a ride-hailing app, which will let customers call the robotaxi like they would an Uber or Lyft.
Mr. Musk initially said he wanted the Tesla robotaxi to have no steering wheel.
The timeline for the robotaxi program hasn’t been made public, and industry experts expect Mr. Musk to provide details at Thursday’s event.
Tesla fans also expect the CEO to provide details of the company’s plans to let Tesla owners use their cars as robotaxis. In the past, Mr. Musk has implied that Tesla owners could rent out their cars on the ride-hailing app when not using them.
The “We, Robot” event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific time at Warner Bros. Hollywood Studio in California.
Mr. Musk initially announced the date for the robotaxi launch would be in August, but eventually postponed the event so designers could add an “important design change.”
Some reports suggest that Mr. Musk will use the event to show off Tesla’s rumored low-cost EV. A Reuter’s report from April said Tesla had canceled the project, but Mr. Musk denied that the car had been canceled. The vehicle, which could cost about $25,000, could be pivotal for the company’s EV sales, which have been declining over the past year.
However, the event’s focus on robotaxis and automation could suggest that Tesla is shifting its focus away from EVs. In recent months, Tesla has bolstered its robotics and AI teams and has heavily promoted its autopilot and full self-driving programs.
Mr. Musk has said Tesla should be viewed as a robotics company and not an automaker, despite most of the company’s money coming from electric vehicles.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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