Dancing humanoid robots, a Hollywood-style movie set, and spontaneous cheering set the stage for a long-awaited event—Elon Musk’s reveal of Tesla’s robotaxi. The unveiling took place on a massive “20-30 acre” Warner Brothers lot in California, where Musk introduced the “Cybercab,” although he often mixed it up with the term “robotaxi.”
The Cybercab: A Glimpse into Tesla’s Future
With a sleek gold paint job and scissor doors, the Cybercab looks like a hybrid of the Cybertruck and Model S, boasting futuristic design elements. Key features include LED headlights, laser projections on the road, and a noticeable absence of a steering wheel or pedals, marking it as a standout in Tesla’s lineup.
Musk demonstrated the Cybercab’s abilities by driving it around the set in a somewhat clumsy fashion, receiving applause from fans as it cautiously navigated staged cyclists and intersections.
Light on Details, Heavy on Hype
Once on stage, Musk revealed that 50 autonomous Tesla vehicles, including Model Ys in unsupervised driving mode, were roaming the Warner Bros. lot. He emphasized that autonomous driving could be 10 to 20 times safer than human driving and reiterated his vision of “personalized mass transport,” which he claimed would be cheaper, safer, and more convenient. Musk also humorously added that the time saved from not driving would likely be spent on smartphones.
However, Tesla remained vague about the technology behind the Cybercab, leaving viewers to piece together details from the live stream. Notably, the vehicle did not appear to use LiDAR, relying instead on high-definition cameras for navigation.
Production Plans and Price Point
Musk announced that the Cybercab would be priced under $30,000 (around £23,000 or AU$44,500), with production expected to begin in 2026. The affordability of this figure seemed uncertain, as it felt more speculative than concrete. The vehicle is also set to feature inductive charging, eliminating the need for traditional plugs, as seen in a demonstration of robots cleaning and charging the vehicle.
Musk hopes both Texas and California will approve Tesla’s unsupervised Full-Self Driving by next year, but given the slow progress with Tesla’s current supervised system, these projections appear optimistic.
Tesla Lags Behind Competitors in Robotaxi Tech
Dan O’Dowd, founder of The Dawn Project, criticized Tesla’s performance in the autonomous vehicle space, pointing out that Tesla is restricted to controlled demonstrations in Hollywood, while competitors like Waymo already transport 100,000 paying customers in major U.S. cities each week. Tesla’s Full-Self Driving system reportedly disengages after just 70 miles, far behind Waymo’s 17,000-mile milestone before disengagement.
The Robovan and Optimus Humanoid Robots
Instead of focusing on an affordable EV that many have been hoping for, Musk introduced the “Robovan,” a fully autonomous, 20-seater transportation pod with a design straight out of a sci-fi film.
He also made bold claims about Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots, which he suggested could be mass-produced and sold for $20,000, predicting they could become “the biggest product ever.”
However, during the after-party, the humanoid robots showcased could only wave aimlessly at the crowd, symbolizing a company that, despite its ambitious vision, may be struggling to stay grounded in reality.
