Elon Musk loves robots but his vision faces big challenge

Tesla CEO aims for robotaxis in this decade

By Web Desk
April 24, 2024
Elon Musk's robotaxis met with big challenge. — TimesNow/File

Elon Musk pulled off a classic move again amid Tesla facing some big challenges.

Musk — who is the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla — unveiled his "new" vision for the electric vehicle manufacturer on the earnings call.

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Tesla is currently concentrating on developing an AI-powered fleet of robotaxis for ride-hailing, made up of both new "Cybercabs" and pre-existing autonomous vehicles that Tesla owners can dispatch whenever they like, according to Gizmodo.

"Think of it as a combination of Airbnb and Uber," said the 52-year-old said on Tesla’s earnings call Tuesday.

"There will be some number of cars that Tesla owns itself and operates in the fleet, and then there’ll be a bunch of cars where they’re owned by the end user."

Elon Musk stakes his businesses on creating something that has never been done before when circumstances are bad.

In order to reduce the amount of time Teslas spend in garages, the billionaire plans to create a fleet of robotaxis.

The founder of PayPal has been discussing this fleet of robotaxis for years, which explains why this sounds familiar to you.

He predicted back in 2019 that by 2020, over a million of these driverless vehicles would be picking up strangers. This has not happened yet but the Tesla boss still hopes for it.

Musk continues to see Tesla as an AI and robotics firm, with the robotaxis at its core.

Optimus, Tesla's humanoid robot, should be on the market by 2025, according to the CEO, who is frequently enthusiastic about his timeframes. Optimus "will be more valuable than everything else combined" when it is launched, Musk reaffirmed.

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