Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled his new robotaxi Thursday, and, in true Tesla fashion, the much anticipated autonomous vehicle rolled in nearly an hour late—right on schedule for a product that’s been delayed time and time again. But fans didn’t mind, as Musk delivered not just the long-awaited vehicle but also an AI robot named Optimus that can bartend for you and a driverless robovan that can shuttle sports teams to games.
The robotaxi debuted at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event Thursday, held at Warner Bros. Discovery’s movie studio in Burbank, Calif., and also livestreamed on X. The event, which was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Pacific time, didn't begin until 7:53 p.m. The delay sparked speculation and jokes online, but Musk said the holdup was caused by a medical emergency in the crowd.
BREAKING: Here is the first look at Tesla’s Cybercab.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) October 11, 2024
IT LOOKS SICK IN PERSON!! pic.twitter.com/V2rkKsjNqz
Musk rolled up in the new Cybercab model, with an astronaut ushering him into the vehicle and aerial footage capturing his autonomous trip through the movie studio back lot and to the event stage.
"There are no steering wheels or pedals in the car. So I hope this goes well; we’ll find out,” Musk said, chuckling onstage after exiting the vehicle to begin his presentation.
Musk has been teasing autonomous capabilities in Tesla vehicles for years, making one of his most dramatic promises in 2019, when he said the company was preparing an entire fleet of ride-sharing vehicles and predicted there would be “over a million robotaxis on the road” by 2020. That didn’t happen. Then, in April of this year, Musk announced on X that the Tesla robotaxi would finally be revealed on Aug. 8. That was pushed back, owing to “an important design change.”
On Thursday, Tesla fans finally got what they have been waiting for, with the crowd cheering as Musk unveiled 20 cars and vowed owners could make money using their Cybercab as a rideshare vehicle when they’re not driving.
“So the vast majority of the time, cars are just doing nothing. But if they’re autonomous they can be used, I don’t know, five times more, maybe 10 times more,” Musk told the crowd. “So, the same car would have five times as much value, maybe 10 times as much value.
“And you'll be able to buy one,” he added. “We expect the cost to be under $30,000.”
So, when will it hit the market? Musk threw out the date “before 2027,” noting: “I tend to be a little optimistic with time frames.”
Musk also unveiled the new Tesla Robovan, which can seat up to 20 people, though no production date or price was mentioned for the product.
Robovan seats 20 & can be adapted to commercial or personal use – school bus, RV, cargo pic.twitter.com/CtjEfcaoHI
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 11, 2024
Finally, Musk revealed Optimus, a human-sized AI robot that “can babysit your kids” or help around the house. At the Thursday debut, the robots were seen wearing cowboy hats, serving drinks at the bar, dancing in sync on a stage, and playing rock-paper-scissors with spectators.
“Please be nice to the Optimus robots,” Musk said. “They'll walk among you.”
After Musk wrapped up his presentation, guests were able to explore the new vehicle models and interact with Optimus robots. And the autonomous vehicles did a sort of fashion show, driving themselves down the street and past the crowds.
Optimus playing rock paper scissors! pic.twitter.com/621DtAptdY
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) October 11, 2024
Now it’s a waiting game for the tech to officially become available. In the meantime, drivers can use Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, the assisted-driving service that still requires a human driver to supervise at all times. Tesla has promised to launch the feature in China and Europe early next year, pending regulatory approvals.
Musk’s vision of a driverless future may still be a ways off. But if there’s one thing Tesla fans have learned, it’s to expect the unexpected—and to bring snacks to wait for potential delays.
