Technology tamfitronics
Tesla’s upcoming, long-promised, so-called robotaxi that has been teased for almost half a decade could finally be revealed in early October 2024, according to a new report. It suggests the automaker has arranged for the new vehicle with full self-driving technology to be revealed at the Warner Bros. Discovery movie studio lot in California, according to Bloomberg.
The Tesla robotaxi reveal event was initially promised by CEO Elon Musk to happen August 8th, but that was later confirmed to be delayed until later in 2024. Now, Bloomberg suggests the reveal will take place in southern California on October 10. It’s unclear what exactly will be revealed or how the studio lot could be useful to Tesla, but a Tesla hardware hacker also recently claimed that the electric vehicle automaker has been collecting fresh data around the Warner Bros. site lately, possibly to help prepare for the event.
Tesla is expected to likely reveal a purpose-built self-driving vehicle, possibly with a single bench seat, or possibly as large as an 11-seater, according to various background clues and concepts reported on previously from Tesla and The Boring Company. The new vehicle may navigate the studio lot, a somewhat controlled environment that could still replicate real-world streets and signage for the demonstration. Tesla is also expected to announce or discuss development of possibly its own ride-hailing application and service technology, according to Bloomberg.
This app could eventually also incorporate existing Tesla owners and their vehicles, as previously conceptually teased by CEO Elon Musk when pitching the company’s in-development Full Self-Driving technology suite. At one point, Musk even specified that Tesla could provide backend support for owners for a fee of 25 to 30 percent. We’ll learn more when Tesla confirms the event time and location, or if it surprises us on October 10.
Earlier this year, Rimac unveiled a similar city-focused robotaxi concept dubbed the Verne and pictured above. The robotaxi service uses a “Mothership” system, where a central location for charging and maintenance is established in a city before it can start taxi service. Two occupants are greeted by a large internal entertainment and navigation information screen. It’s possible the rumored compact concept vehicle Tesla may have in development could be similar in dimension and purpose to Rimac’s Verne now, but we’ll see.
In September 2024, an alleged Warner Bros. employee caught a photo of a yellow prototype compact vehicle in heavy camouflage testing on the studio lot. It appears to show a two door hatchback-style vehicle with seating for between 2 and 4 people, if we had to guess. We’ll update as more information about Tesla’s future robotaxi concept comes to light.
