Elon Musk unveils Tesla Cybercab Robotaxi; check key details

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the automotive company’s long-awaited Cybercab at the ‘We, Robot’ event held at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California, on Thursday, October 10.

Reportedly, the event’s name is apparently a reference to the famous 2004 action/sci-fi film ‘I, Robot’ or the "I, Robot" science-fiction short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov.

Musk stated that the production of the robot taxi, or Robotaxi, known as Cybercab, will begin in 2026 and will be priced under $30,000, according to a report by Reuters.

Tesla Head also unveiled the ‘Robovan,’ which can reportedly carry 20 persons at a time, although very few details were disclosed about it. Furthermore, he hinted that significant progress is being made with its humanoid robot, ‘Optimus.’ The robot can be priced at $20,000 to $30,000 and will perform many routine tasks, the report added.

The unveiling comes after a long wait from fans as the August event was delayed. In a post on X on July 15, Musk said that important design changes are underway, thus the delay.

Over 3 million people watched the event presentation on Musk’s X platform alone.

The future is here

"The autonomous future is here," Reuters quoted Musk. "With autonomy, you get your time back."

While Tesla has been playing with deadlines, many driverless cars are already on the roads produced by competitors like Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors subsidiary Cruise.

The report said running the Cybercab will cost $0.2/mile, and charging will not require plugs. Robovans' operating cost will be even cheaper, at $0.05/mile.

The vehicles will operate through artificial intelligence (AI) and cameras instead of hardware that is common among Tesla’s rivals, Musk said, the report added.

The Robotaxi will only be able to accommodate two people at a time and will have no pedals or steering, making it fully autonomous. It will also have gull-wing doors, which open upwards like a butterfly.

Musk noted that these autonomous vehicles could be both safer and cheaper than the traditional vehicles driven by humans.