Elon Musk just unveiled Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi CyberCab, a futuristic two-door vehicle with gull-wing doors and no steering wheel or pedals, alongside surprise announcements for a larger Robovan and updates on the Optimus humanoid robot.
The “Cybercab” Robotaxi is set for production in 2026, priced under US$30,000, with operating costs projected at 20 cents per mile.
Tesla’s autonomous approach relies on AI, cameras, and extensive training data, eschewing the lidar hardware favoured by competitors.
“It’s going to be a glorious future,” said Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday night at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
A larger self-driving Robovan was also introduced, which is reportedly capable of carrying up to 20 people.
He said the Cybercab and Robovan would use inductive charging, which would allow these autonomous vehicles to drive to a station to recharge, with no plugging in required.
Musk also projects a future $20,000-$30,000 price range for Tesla Optimus robots, boldly claiming they’ll be “the biggest product ever of any kind.”
This movie-style launch follows years of hype about Tesla’s long-awaited, fully autonomous Robotaxi. But what is clear is Musk’s vision to keep the cost of autonomous transport so low, that when Robovan is fully rolled out, it could completely revolutionise transportation.
Near the end of his 23-minute speech, the CEO mentioned that Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, was not meant for “a canned video.” Musk declared, “The Optimus robots will walk among you” and urged attendees to “be nice” to the robots serving drinks on-site. He concluded with “let’s party,” and the livestream showed Optimus robots dancing to club hits. This event marked Tesla’s first product reveal since the Cybertruck design in 2019. The steel pickup began shipping in late 2023 and has faced five voluntary recalls in the U.S.
Below is a Youtube video from Tesla about the Robotaxi CyberCab launch Event.
