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Analysis and Technology

Elon Musk's Tesla Cybercab is a hollow promise of a robotaxi future

Autonomous taxis are already operating on US streets, while Elon Musk has spent years promising a self-driving car and failing to deliver. The newly announced Tesla Cybercab is unlikely to change that

By Chris Stokel-Walker

11 October 2024

The Tesla Cybercab has no steering wheel and no pedals

Tesla

At a glitzy event held at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank in California, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Cybercab: a robotic, self-driving taxi. Musk said that the vehicle, which has two seats, no steering wheel and no pedals, would be available before 2027. “I think it’s going to be a glorious future,” he told the crowd on 10 October.

Meanwhile, just a few kilometres south in Los Angeles, people are already being ferried about by autonomous vehicles operated by Waymo. It seems that the future is already here…

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