Everything we know so far about the Tesla Robotaxi

If you’re wondering what you might be able to expect from the Tesla Robotaxi – fear not, we have you covered.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has been plotting a move into the autonomous taxi world for a while now, and it seems as if the big day is drawing ever closer.

So, what can we tell you so far?

Well, it hasn’t all been plain sailing, that’s for sure.

But, these things never are, are they?

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A delayed start for Tesla Robotaxi

As ever when bringing something new to market, there are going to be snags and hitches.

That’s totally normal.

In the case of the Tesla Robotaxi, one such snag was the original launch date – August 8.

Obviously, that has now passed, and we’re going to be waiting until October 2024 to see the launch at the earliest.

Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) is the key

In recent times, Tesla has been seriously keen to get drivers involved with the autonomous driving feature of their cars.

In fact, they’ve been making sure that all new Tesla owners get a crash course – figuratively speaking – in the technology.

So far, Tesla’s Robotaxi service hasn’t arrived on the scene just yet, but when it does the Tesla FSD will be – they hope – what sets it apart.

The autopilot system has been shown to be effective, navigating complicated situations, and even reportedly saving a man’s life.

However, there have been issues with this sort of tech too – such as this man’s t-shirt which ground an autonomous vehicle to a halt.

The Robotaxi will hope to avoid problems such as that once it rolls out.

When will we see the Robotaxi?

Despite the August launch date proving a bit optimistic, reports suggest that the technology will be available by October, providing further delays are avoided.

After all, the Cybertruck was pushed back a few times, wasn’t it?

Not that it stopped that being a success overall.

So, what is the reason for the wait?

Simply, we don’t know.

It could be down to tech refinements or design shifts, or – as Musk himself has suggested – to ensure that the Robotaxi meets very high standards when it does finally arrive.

October 10 is the date in the diary just now, so we’ll have to wait and see.

What will the Tesla Robotaxi look like?

Again, a difficult question.

It has been suggested that the Robotaxi will bear a resemblance to the Cybertruck, which means it will almost certainly divide opinion.

We have seen some short video, but it ain’t much.

The Cybertruck-style design hints at a diversion from traditional vehicle appearance, highlighting the fact that this is a purpose-built vehicle for a very specific task.

Much like this wonderful Zoox autonomous taxi that our very own Alex Hirschi recently had a go in.

Inside, it will be minimal – after all, you don’t need to drive it – with little to no controls.

There’ll probably be some entertainment and connectivity options, but apart from that, don’t expect to see much in the way of moving parts.

How does it work?

We expect that the Tesla Robotaxi will have a camera-based system, rather than a lidar or radar.

It will feature the latest ‘next generation’ Tesla tech, including the top battery the company has, as well as the best materials to give range, efficiency, safety, and durability.

There’ll be some elements of the current FSD chucked in for good measure, too.

All in all, this product is vital to the future of Tesla, and the company clearly wants it to be a big success.

Whether that comes to fruition or not, we’ll just have to wait and see.

There are still technological and regulatory obstacles to hurdle, but if any company can do it, it’s Tesla.

We’ll have to wait and see, but the future of self-driving taxis is coming, and it feels inevitable at this point.

The lead image for this story is a concept designed with AI