Tesla Unveils Cybercab and Cybervan at We, Robot Event

Tesla on Friday finally unveiled their lineup of highly anticipated autonomous robotaxis.

The vehicles, Cybercab and Cybervan, lack steering wheels and pedals. Like Waymo, the autonomous lineup is meant to operate on its own, with zero driver input. Furthermore, we see the ‘cyber’ trend continue with these models with both vehicles refining the futuristic vision of the Cybertruck.

The event took place in Warner Bros. Discovery studio and began with CEO Elon Musk demonstrating the Cybercab. Musk walked up to the cab, and the gullwing doors opened up. After getting inside, the car drove itself through the California studio and to the stage, where Musk kicked off the presentation.

Cybercab took center stage, as this was previously slated to arrive in 2020. Later pushed to August of this year, the Cybercab was again delayed after a last minute design change.

In 2019, at an Autonomy Day presentation, Musk said of the would-be Cybercab: “By the middle of next year, we’ll have over a million Tesla cars on the road with Full Self-Driving hardware, feature complete, at a reliability level that we would consider that no one needs to pay attention, meaning you could go to sleep.” He continued, “From our standpoint, if you fast forward a year, maybe a year and three months, but next year for sure, we will have over a million robotaxis on the road. The fleet wakes up with an over the air update. That’s all it takes.”

It’s expected that these will be used as part of Tesla’s upcoming Uber-like rideshare app, which was teased during its first quarter investors call.

The fully autonomous vehicle has no pedals or steering wheel. It is styled along the lines of the Cybertruck, but as a less angular coupe. At the presentation, 20 examples of the car were driving “completely unsupervised” around the streets of the Warner Bros set.

Musk says the cab will be available for purchase below $30,000. He also says it will be in production “before 2027”, acknowledging that he is usually a tad overly optimistic about timelines.

Instead of a plug, it will be the first production car to charge using induction technology, a form of wireless charging.

Rapper Swae Lee was among those who were invited to demo the vehicle, and gave the cab positive feedback on Musk’s platform X.

To the surprise of the audience, Musk also unveiled the Cybervan, a similarly autonomous van that speaks more closeley to Musk’s vision of “individualized mass transit”, as it carries up to twenty people and cargo. The van has the same cyber appeal, although others have noted a hint of art-deco influence. No timeline on its production was mentioned.

Tesla also unveiled its Optimus personal robot product, claiming it will be the most popular product of any kind. The robots were walking around the audience freely, playing games, pouring drinks, and even talking with members of the crowd.

Like the Cybervan, no production date was mentioned — although it was priced at “less than a car”, or around $20-30,000.

Regulation of autonomous vehicles remain a huge roadblock for Tesla. California, the former home of the company, is one of the most stringent in this regard.