Tesla brings a futuristic scenario to our roads with its new robotaxi

We are still light years away from the future glimpsed in films such as 'Blade Runner', 'The Fifth Element' and 'Minority Report', but thanks to technological advances such as self-driving vehicles, that future is getting closer.

Elon Musk's company Tesla has been working along these lines for some time, and has long dropped hints about its Cybercab, a completely autonomous 'robotaxi' that will undoubtedly revolutionise urban transport on a global scale.

Image: Tesla

The prototype of this futuristic self-driving car  was presented by Musk himself at an event held at the Warner Bros film studios in Los Angeles in true Hollywood style.

"We have 50 fully autonomous cars here tonight. You'll see the Model Y and the Cybercab. All driverless. You'll be able to take a ride in the cybercab. There's no steering wheels or pedals, so I hope it goes well," Musk said at his presentation.

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But what are these innovative taxis that will  replace the conventional model? The vehicle has only two doors that open like butterfly wings and clean, aerodynamic curved lines, without side mirrors or rear window. A LED bar highlights its futuristic style.

Image: Tesla

The interior is very spacious. With no steering wheel or pedals, there are just two comfortable seats and a huge screen in the centre to control its functions.

Image: Tesla

Plans for an autonomous public transport service will enable the owners of these vehicles to rent them in a "shared market" through the 'Tesla Network' platform. This will generate income that will be divided between them and the company, not unlike the current operation of rental cars with drivers.

Image: Tesla

The aim of this system, as Musk said, is to obtain a sustainable flow of income and increase client numbers after a difficult period in which revenue plunged 55% in the first quarter of 2024 and investors lost confidence.

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Another of the Cybercab's attractions concerns price. The aim is to bring the price tag down to just under €30,000, while its consumption would be around 18 cents per 1.6 kilometers.

Image: Tesla

Musk also said that the first Cybercabs will begin to be manufactured in the coming months with the idea that they can begin to operate in supervised mode in 2025 thanks to the latest autonomous driving systems.

However, they will not be available for sale until late 2026 or even early 2027, due to the wait for relevant approval from the different countries.

Image: Tesla

But there are doubts over whether the production of the Cybercab would begin "before 2027", based on Musk's frequent failure to meet his own deadlines, according to the BBC. "I tend to be optimistic with time frames," Musk joked during the event.

Photo: screenshot from CNBC video of Tesla presentation

Musk boasted that his Cybercab "will go down in history" and predicted that his initial fleet of robotaxis could number as many as 7 million, which could grow to "tens of millions" in the future.

While Tesla unveils its taxi of the future, other companies are following suit with projects such as Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google. It recently confirmed an alliance with Hyundai to increase its fleet of autonomous vehicles with the Ioniq 5 model.

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In Croatia, the company Rimac Automobili has also announced its intention to launch its own 'robotaxis' system in Zagreb in 2026 through the 'Verte' project, with a view to expand into markets in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Middle East.  The initiative is in conjunction with the technology company Mobileye and sponsored by Porsche, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Goldman Sachs.

Image: Rimac Automobili

Then there is China, where Baidu - considered the Google of the Asian giant and in which Musk has a share - already partially operates with autonomous taxis in cities like Beijing, Shenzhen and Chongqing.

But Cybercab was not the only surprise announced by Tesla. Musk also presented Robovan, a small electric self-driving city bus that could carry 20 passengers and also be used for freight.

Image: Tesla

Clearly the future is upon us and the self-driving vehicle could soon be a common sight. "A fun exciting future," according to Musk who expressed his desire to be in it now at the event. But there are plenty of safety concerns to address before we get to that point.

Photo: screenshot from CNBC video of Tesla presentation.

Tesla plans to use AI to train its cars, using data drawn from current drivers. But not everyone is sold on this idea, according to Samitha Samaranayake, an associate professor in engineering at Cornell University.

Photo: screenshot from CNBC video of Tesla presentation.

"It is a big chunk of metal driving on roads at high speeds, so safety concerns are big," he told the BBC, adding that the research community "is not sold on whether the Tesla style of doing things can give the safety guarantees that we would like."

Photo: screenshot from CNBC video of Tesla presentation.