Tesla unveils its new fully autonomous 'robotaxi' featuring no pedals and no steering wheel at ‘We Robot’ event. The company’s CEO Elon Musk introduced robotaxi as its latest innovation which includes inductive charging and cleaning robots.

The launch marks a significant step towards futuristic vision that include driverless technology. Musk believes that this innovation will propel the company’s long term growth in the market of electric vehicles.

Musk entered the event in a robotaxi and announced that production of the robotaxi will speed up starting in 2026, with a price  of 25.2 lakh rupees. He also stated, "It will be cheaper than mass transit." Unsupervised, fully self-driving capable cars are expected to be available in Texas and California by next year, starting with the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, as well as the Model S and Cybertruck. Production of the robotaxi, optimised for fully autonomous driving, will begin in 2026.

Musk further said "The vast majority of the time, cars are just sitting idle," but if they were autonomous, they could be used five to ten times more often."

Robotaxi

The launch of Cybercab triggered both excitement and lack of conviction among investors and analysts, many of whom are concerned about the difficulties that will arise with fully autonomous driving. Musk acknowledged these challenges and assured Tesla’s advancements in AI that the company has developed a fleet of 50 fully autonomous vehicles ready to operate without human intervention.

The taxi also features wireless charging using  an inductive charger. Tesla has previously hinted at wireless charging for its electric vehicles in tweets and events said Musk.

Tesla has removed all the traditional driving methods and aims to provide you  a more spacious and advanced interior experience.

Earlier in 2019, Tesla missed several deadlines after promising to provide fully autonomous Robotaxi by the following year. But finally Musk made his focus on robotaxi in 2023 putting robotaxi development at the forefront while setting aside more affordable EV plans.

Tesla now faces the possibility of its first-ever decline in deliveries this year. Despite offering various incentives to encourage purchases, the company has struggled to attract enough customers. Aggressive price cuts have been implemented to address this issue,countering high interest rates, have also taken a toll on profit margins, adding to the pressure for Musk to regain investor confidence.

Many analysts believe that Musk needs to present a working robotaxi prototype and outline a clear strategy to leave behind the established competitors like Alphabet's Waymo, which already operates driverless robotaxis for paying customers in several U.S. cities.

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