Tesla Finally Revealed the Long-Awaited Robotaxi
The time for speculation is over, and Tesla has finally revealed its long-awaited Robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle that it said would have a super reasonable price tag and wireless charging. CEO Elon Musk pulled back the curtain on the car, but the presentation was light on detail and didn’t do much to excite investors.
Musk said the car would enter production at some point in 2026, but he didn’t give any specs or numbers other than saying that it would start at under $30,000. Tesla displayed a few prototypes of the Robotaxi and an autonomous van. The taxi has a sleek two-door design with only two seats. Despite that, the car appears to have a large cargo area underneath its windowless hatchback. It also has dihedral doors like the ones seen on Koenigseggs and other exotic cars.
The automaker sees a future where buyers could operate fleets of Robotaxis, kind of like smaller rideshare companies. That said, autonomous vehicles are only in the testing stage at the moment, and they’re only authorized to operate in limited areas of a few states. Tesla’s vision of a driverless future could take several years to grow, and that’s the best-case scenario. Accidents and other issues could delay the program indefinitely.
While the Robotaxi took top billing at the event, Tesla also showed two other product concepts. Musk said the Robovan can carry up to 20 people, and it looks like a mix between a bullet train and a VW bus with almost zero ground clearance.
Finally, Musk showed Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. The $30,000 droid will allegedly help with household chores and teaching, but the creepy-looking robot gets a hard no from me. While I’m sure it will only have good intentions, there’s not a massive leap from doing household chores to taking over the world and enslaving all humans.
[Images: Tesla]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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