On the night of last Thursday, the 10th, during the event “We, Robot” Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed an early prototype of what he called the “Cybercab“, a futuristic vehicle that promises to transform the way we see transportation.
Although the car is years away from going into production, Musk said it will cost $30.000 and that the vehicle could generate income for its owners, similar to Airbnb's business model. However, given Musk's history of broken promises, many observers are skeptical of these claims, including investors.
wireless charging
Among the various promises, one feature caught attention: the “Cybercab” will not have a charging plug, being powered by coils of loading wireless installed on the roads.
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If successful, this innovation would represent a major advancement over conventional vehicles and would raise even more questions about when this technology will actually be available to the public.
During the event, Musk gave few details about how the car will charge wirelessly or how fast it will charge, but he did say that Tesla is working on inductive charging technology.It's something we should have done a long time ago. The robotaxi won't have a plug. It just sits on the inductive charger and charges.“, explained Musk.
Despite the futuristic idea, roads with charging coils still seem like a concept far from reality, although there are already experimental projects underway in some regions.
Tesla will most likely opt to install wireless chargers at specific points along roads, rather than covering entire miles of roads with this technology.
An Uncertain Future for Cybercab
While wireless charging technology is under development, there are still significant challenges to overcome. Recently, the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory managed to charge a Porsche Taycan at a rate of 270 kilowatts.
However, wireless charging is still relatively slow, and an efficient public solution could take years to materialize.
In addition to the technological challenges, Tesla will also have to overcome regulatory issues. The “Cybercab” will be an autonomous vehicle, without a steering wheel or pedals, which raises concerns about its operation on public roads and approval by regulatory bodies.
Elon Musk's Promises
Elon Musk has spent years promoting Tesla’s progress in self-driving cars, but his bold promises haven’t always come to fruition. In 2015, he claimed that Tesla vehicles would achieve “full autonomy” within three years. That hasn’t happened.
In 2016, Elon Musk promised a transcontinental trip in a Tesla car, without human intervention, by the end of 2017, but again the prediction failed.
In 2019, Musk stated that Tesla would have 1 million robotaxi-ready vehicles by 2020, generating income for their owners.
However, to date, this promise has also failed to materialize. Still, in April of this year, Elon Musk reiterated his confidence in the company's autonomous future, stating that autonomy is the way forward for Tesla.
At yesterday’s event, Musk tried to offer a preview of that future by inviting attendees to test autonomous vehicles in a controlled environment inside movie studios. But the big question remains: will the “Cybercab” will see the light of day, or will it be just another unfulfilled promise in Elon Musk’s long list of futuristic predictions?
Although the idea of a “Cybercab“While autonomous vehicles and wireless charging are intriguing, there are still plenty of technological and regulatory hurdles that Tesla will need to overcome. Given Elon Musk’s long list of missed deadlines and inflated promises, it’s understandable that both the public and investors are wary.
Uber shares soar in the US
Uber shares are on the rise after it emerged that Tesla Inc.’s much-hyped robotaxi ride-hailing service Elon Musk announced has proven less of a threat to the ride-hailing giant than anticipated. Speculation surrounding Musk’s plan, which has unsettled investors for months about Uber’s future, was dispelled Thursday night at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event.
At the event, Musk introduced the new CyberCab, as well as promising that fully autonomous driving would be available for testing in 2024 in Texas and California. However, what worried investors was the possibility of an autonomous transport service competing with Tesla, something that Musk did not detail during the event. The lack of concrete information led analysts to consider the robotaxi “toothless” and incapable of posing an immediate threat to Uber.
Meanwhile, Uber is strengthening its partnerships with leading companies developing autonomous vehicles, including Google’s Waymo, GM’s Cruise and Avride. The company’s strategy includes using its app as an open platform for autonomous vehicle developers to test their technologies and find market demand.
The recovery in Uber’s stock reflects investor confidence in the company’s ability to continue dominating the market, even in the face of potential competition from Tesla. This strategic alliance with major players in the autonomous vehicle sector allows Uber to position itself as an enabler of the future of transportation, offering alternatives to consumers and partners.