self-driving Tesla Cybercab will be available in 2026

(Image: Tesla)

This is it, the fully autonomous Tesla Cybercab. It would come onto the market in 2026, according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and cost less than $30,000. But we consciously take that with a grain of salt…

Why the skepticism? Because Elon Musk has been promising every year for eleven years (!) that self-driving cars are really coming. And for eleven years now, nothing has come of that promise. In the US, thousands of Teslas drive around with the so-called Full Self-Driving Beta system, but that is not self-driving at all.

Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta-systeem

If you go to Tesla’s website now and order one of the S.3.XY models, you can pay an extra 7,500 euros for Full Self-Driving Capability. Will you get that too? No, because the fine print says: ‘Future updates will allow your car to drive itself almost everywhere.’

(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)

So far, no Tesla is self-driving. Autopilot and also Full Self-Driving Beta are level 2 systems, which means that they can function reasonably autonomously under certain circumstances, but that a person is always required behind the wheel to pay attention and intervene.

Tesla Cybercab without steering wheel and pedals

The latter is not possible at all in the new Tesla Cybercab, because the two-door, two-person taxi has no steering wheel and pedals. You order it via an app on your phone and it will arrive completely autonomously to take you to your destination. At least, in theory…

(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)

Because Tesla has made a remarkable decision. To reduce the cost of the Cybercab, the machine has no lidar or radar sensors, only cameras, just like the Model 3Model Y, Model X and Model S. Other car brands think that fully autonomous driving is not possible.

Model 3 and Model Y are also autonomous

During the presentation of the Tesla Cybercab, CEO Elon Musk again makes the same prediction he has been making for eleven years. Before the robotaxi appears on the market in 2026, Tesla’s other models will receive an update that will allow them to drive all by themselves. Next year, apparently.

Cybercab can charge inductively

If you look closely at the photos of the Cybercab, you will see that the vehicle does not have a charging port. That’s because Tesla focuses on inductive charging. The Cybercab only has two seats, for larger groups Tesla has devised the Robovan, which can accommodate up to twenty passengers.

(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)(Image: Tesla)

Tesla Robovan for twenty people

Tesla discloses even less about the Robovan than about the Cybercab. We know it looks like a retro-futuristic iron, but not when it will hit public roads. That will probably take a few years. Or even longer…

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