Elon Musk is set to unveil Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi, a fully autonomous vehicle that has spent nearly a decade in the making. Since 2016, Elon Musk has continuously been promising the arrival for self-driving cars. But now finally in 2024,Tesla is all prepared to launch, which also plays a crucial moment in the autonomous vehicle industry where the stakes are high and the competition is at the top.
However, with a history of missed deadlines and ongoing technical challenges, the road to fully self-driving cars may still be longer than anticipated.
Elon Musk’s promise of self-driving Teslas and the evolution of the cybercab vision
Since 2016, Elon Musk has claimed that Tesla’s self-driving technology would eventually allow passengers to sleep or relax during their journeys, requiring no driver intervention. He also pledged that all newly produced Tesla vehicles, including the Model 3, would come equipped with hardware capable of achieving full autonomy. Despite these ambitious promises, Tesla has yet to produce a vehicle that is fully self-driving. While Tesla introduced various driver-assist technologies—such as Autopilot, Navigate on Autopilot, Full Self-Driving (FSD), and FSD Supervised—none have reached the level of complete autonomy Musk initially envisioned.
In 2019, Musk further expanded his vision by introducing the concept of the "Cybercab." This would allow Tesla owners to turn their vehicles into part-time autonomous taxis when they weren’t in use. The idea was to create a fleet of self-driving cars that could operate as Robotaxis, generating income for their owners and contributing to a vast network of autonomous transportation.
Tesla’s Robotaxi event: Unveiling of futuristic Robotaxi amid scepticism over delayed timelines
On October 10, Tesla will take a significant step toward that goal by unveiling its first Robotaxi at Warner Bros. Studios in California. Reports suggest the vehicle will be a futuristic, two-seater design with butterfly wing doors, aimed at offering an ultra-modern experience. While the unveiling is considered a major milestone for the company, it comes with a degree of scepticism due to Tesla's history of delaying timelines. Tesla is preparing to officially present its Robotaxi at the launch event around 7pm ET (7:30 AM ist, Friday).
The event represents an important moment in Musk's broader vision, but doubts persist about whether this launch will meet all expectations. This will be live-streamed, providing the world with the first look of the much-awaited Tesla, which it believes will be in the future world of transportation.
Tesla faces challenges amid declining sales and regulatory scrutiny over safety concerns
The Robotaxi unveiling is happening during a challenging period for Tesla. The company has faced a decline in sales, particularly in the US and China, where competition from other automakers is increasing. Furthermore, Tesla is under heavy scrutiny from regulatory authorities over safety concerns related to its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. A report from The Verge highlights that over 1,000 crashes involving these systems are currently under investigation, including 44 fatal incidents. Critics argue that Tesla's technology may not always keep drivers adequately engaged, leading to safety risks when the systems fail to perform as expected.
Tesla’s Robotaxi: Competition in the autonomous vehicle market
Musk’s Robotaxi launch positions Tesla in direct competition with companies like Waymo, which already operates autonomous ride-hailing services in select regions. However, Tesla’s approach is notably different from its rivals. While Waymo employs a combination of lidar and radar to enhance its vehicles' navigation systems, Tesla has chosen to rely exclusively on cameras. This decision has been widely debated by industry experts, with some arguing that Tesla's camera-based system may face limitations in certain driving conditions.
Tesla’s Robotaxi is expected to aim for Level 5 autonomy, a stage where the vehicle can drive without any human intervention.
Despite this goal, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software continues to face significant challenges, particularly when it comes to handling adverse conditions like wet roads or sunlight glare. These ongoing technical issues raise questions about whether the Robotaxi will truly be capable of achieving the full autonomy Musk has long promised.