Fri 22 April 2022:
In 2024, Tesla’s fleet of robotaxis will be released, and they will be completely self-driving, with no option for a human driver to take control.
Musk told investors on a Wednesday evening earnings call Tesla will begin making robotaxis — or cars without pedals and steering wheels to be used by consumers like Uber —in 2024.
The news comes after the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer reported a healthy net profit of $3.3 billion in the March quarter.
Quarterly revenue was $18.8 billion, exceeding expectations of $17.9 billion and increasing by 81 percent year over year. Earnings per share came in at $2.86, vs $2.27 expected, while adjusted earnings per share came in at $3.22.
“If you look some of our projections, it would appear that a robotaxi ride will cost less than a bus ticket, a subsidized bus ticket, or subsidized subway ticket,” Musk said.
Musk has been pounding the table on a fleet of robotaxis for years, noting they could be a sizable profit driver for Tesla in the future.
However, hurdles to getting the full self-driving technology right has hindered the rollout.
Musk mentioned the robotaxi vehicle at the company’s recent “Cyber Rodeo” event, saying that it will look “quite futuristic.” And he’s been talking about robotaxis since 2019, though at that point Musk was referring to the company’s standard lineup of cars, which are all capable to some degree of autonomous driving.
The autonomous rideshare service will cost as much as a subsidised subway ticket, Musk said. Though it remains to be seen how cheap can he sell the robotaxi, considering that Tesla is known for selling expensive electric cars.
“It’s fundamentally optimised for trying to achieve the lowest fully considered cost per mile, cost per kilometre, accounting everything,” The Business Insider quoted Musk as saying.
“I think that really will be a massive driver of Tesla’s growth.”
Musk said that Tesla Robotaxi will also contain a “number of other innovations” though he did not elaborate how innovative it would be.
Elon Musk said Tesla robotaxis with no human drivers would be available in some markets next year https://t.co/KWzyB1W10o pic.twitter.com/AHQ6VKKbmi
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 23, 2019
Musk first mentioned about the robotaxi earlier this month at Tesla’s Austin gigafactory opening, where he outlined a variety of future products including Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot concept.
The 50-year-old said that these “futuristic products” would mark Tesla’s departure from its passenger car business, which generates the bulk of its profits today.
“Optimus ultimately will be worth more than the car business, worth more than FSD,” he said.
Tesla has been hit by supply-chain issues, with its factories running below capacity for the last several quarters.
Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, which was responsible for half the company’s global production last year, had been impacted by a surge in COVID-19 cases in China.
But after the local authorities decided to ease some of the restrictions, a measured restarting of production has begun.
Musk noted that despite COVID-19 related shutdowns at its key Shanghai manufacturing plant recently, Tesla production has come back with a “vengeance.” He added that will aid in Tesla potentially delivering 60% more cars this year compared to 2021, ahead of many analyst estimates.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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