Tesla Unveils Cybercab Robotaxi and Announces 2026 Production Date

Tesla recently revealed its much-anticipated Cybercab robotaxi, with CEO Elon Musk announcing that production is expected to begin by 2026, with a target price of under $30,000. The event included the introduction of the Robovan, an autonomous vehicle designed to accommodate up to 20 passengers, alongside an updated version of the humanoid robot named “Optimus.”

The announcements took place at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event at Warner Bros. studio in Los Angeles, which was streamed live and experienced a delay due to a medical emergency.

The Cybercab is designed without a steering wheel or pedals and seats two individuals. Musk has been teasing this model for nearly five years, but it must navigate numerous regulatory challenges before it can move into production. He stated that Tesla aims to roll out unsupervised full self-driving capabilities in its existing models by 2025, paving the way for the launch of the Cybercab a year later.

Musk indicated that the operational costs for the Cybercab should be around 20 cents per mile, without going into specifics, and reiterated that it would retail for less than $30,000. He asserted that the vehicle would enhance safety, claiming that autonomous vehicles could be “ten times” safer than human drivers.

Both the new vehicles and the Optimus robot will leverage artificial intelligence technology. This strategic move towards AI and autonomous driving comes as Tesla faces a steady decline in sales due to heightened competition in the Chinese market and sluggishness in Western sales.

The company is at risk of experiencing its first annual decline in deliveries in 2024. In the realm of robotaxis, Tesla trails behind competitors like Waymo and Cruise, which have already launched services in select American cities. However, these offerings have been marred by several traffic incidents and injuries.

Tesla is also under increasing scrutiny regarding its full self-driving claims, especially following several high-profile accidents linked to the software.