Tesla unveils Cybercab just hours after Trump criticizes autonomous vehicles

Oct 11

Jack Aylmer Energy Correspondent

By Jack Aylmer (Energy Correspondent), Zachary Hill (Video Editor)

This week, Tesla officially introduced its much-anticipated robotaxi to the public, unveiling their self-driving Cybercab for the first time to consumers. The debut came just hours after former President Donald Trump, who has been endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, expressed skepticism about autonomous vehicles during a speech in Detroit, Michigan.

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“Do you like autonomous?” Trump asked the crowd. “Does anybody like an autonomous vehicle? You know what that is, right? When you see a car driving, some people do, I don’t know, a little concerning to me.”

Trump’s unease about self-driving cars is not new. In 2019, Axios reported that Trump declared self-driving cars would “never work.” He also reportedly told members of his Bedminster Golf Club in 2017 that he would never step inside one.

While his latest remarks did not single out Tesla, they emphasized his concern over Chinese-made autonomous vehicles.

“I will stop Chinese and other countries’ produced automobile and autonomous vehicles,” Trump stated. “The autonomous vehicles, we’re going to stop from operating on American roads.”

Meanwhile, Tesla continues to place a significant bet on the success of its self-driving technology after several delays on the car that Musk previously claimed in 2016 would be ready in 2018.

The recently revealed Cybercab models are still prototypes and must undergo regulatory scrutiny to prove their safety. Since the vehicles lack steering wheels and pedals, Tesla will need a waiver from the federal government to operate these fully autonomous cars—a process that could take months and is not guaranteed.

In his remarks during the robotaxi unveiling, Musk made ambitious promises about the future of self-driving technology. Musk said that the cars will transition from supervised full self-driving to fully autonomous, allowing passengers to “fall asleep and wake up at your destination.” Musk estimated that Tesla’s robotaxis could be available to consumers by 2026, with a price point under $30,000.

Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Auto industry, Automation, cars, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Tesla

“There’s no steering wheel or pedals. So I hope this goes well. We’ll find out.”

THIS WEEK TESLA FINALLY UNVEILED ITS LONG AWAITED ROBOTAXI-

OFFICIALLY INTRODUCING CONSUMERS TO ITS CYBERCABS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

IT WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT CAME JUST HOURS AFTER CEO ELON MUSK’S PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF CHOICE RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT THIS VERY SAME TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY.

“Do you like autonomous? Does anybody like an autonomous vehicle? You know what that is, right? When you see a car driving, some people do, I don’t know, a little concerning to me.”

TRUMP’S LACK OF FAITH IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IS NOTHING NEW-

BACK IN 20-19, AXIOS REPORTED THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAID SELF-DRIVING CARS WOULD QUOTE NEVER WORK.

AND A FEW YEARS BEFORE THAT IN 20-17, HE REPORTEDLY TOLD MEMBERS OF HIS BEDMINSTER GOLF CLUB HE’S REFUSED TO EVER GET IN ONE.

TRUMP’S LATEST COMMENTS ON AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES DIDN’T TARGET TESLA SPECIFICALLY, BUT RATHER CHINESE-MADE SELF DRIVING CARS.

“I will stop Chinese and other countries’ produced automobile and autonomous vehicles … the autonomous vehicles we’re going to stop from operating on American roads.”

WHILE TRUMP HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF THIS TECH, TESLA ON THE OTHER HAND HAS A LOT RIDING ON ITS SUCCESS.

THESE RECENTLY UNVEILED CYBERCAB MODELS ARE JUST PROTOTYPES-

AND COME AFTER REPEATED MISSED DEADLINES – INITIALLY SAYING 8 YEARS AGO THAT THESE SELF DRIVING CARS WERE JUST TWO YEARS AWAY.

AFTER ALL THAT TIME, TESLA’S AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES MUST STILL DEMONSTRATE TO REGULATORS THEY CAN OPERATE SAFELY.

BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE STEERING WHEELS – THE DESIGN WILL REQUIRE A WAIVER FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT-

A MONTHS LONG PROCESS THAT ISN’T NECESSARILY A GIVEN.

BUT THAT HASN’T STOPPED MUSK FROM MAKING MORE BIG PROMISES ABOUT THE CYBERCAB’S CAPABILITIES.

“We’ll move from supervised, full self driving to unsupervised, full self driving, where the car, you could fall asleep and wake up at your destination.”

MUSK SAYS THESE SELF DRIVING CARS WILL LIKELY BE AVAILABLE IN 20-26-

AND COME AT A PRICE TAG OF UNDER 30,000 DOLLARS.

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