In its quarterly presentation, Tesla noted that one of the advantages of the new platform on which the Cybercab unmanned taxi will be based will be record low energy consumption (11 kWh per 100 km). During the event, Elon Musk repeatedly stated that he sees no point in creating an electric car for $25,000 that can be driven by a person; such a car should only be unmanned.
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Elon Musk initially did not want to give a clear answer to the question about the possibility of an electric car costing $25,000 that would not be used in taxis, but then delved into the argument that the company has no plans to produce such a car. He began to draw analogies with the transfer of humanity from horses to cars with internal combustion engines; we recall that Tesla’s ultimate goal is to produce electric vehicles that are fully controlled automatically. For other types of land transportation vehicles, Musk simply does not see a place in the market, and he is surprised that not all automakers are now fully aware of this. “Everything will be electric and autonomous,” the head of Tesla emphasized his view of the transport of the future. Horses, as Musk explained, are still used today as a means of transport, but not in large numbers. Over time, cars with controls that are familiar today will become just as exotic.
In this context, the company’s management does not see the point in creating a $25,000 electric vehicle that is not autonomous. “I think building a regular car for $25,000 is pointless. Yes, that would be stupid. This is completely at odds with what we believe in,” explained the company’s CEO. In addition, “hybrid” cars from the point of view of the control method, according to Musk, are inferior in safety to fully automatic ones. For this reason, the Cybercab will not have a steering wheel or pedals. However, if someone suddenly needs an autonomous taxi for personal use, then Elon Musk is ready to sell him such a car on exceptional terms.
Let us recall that in the first half of this month, at the Cybercab presentation, Tesla promised to begin production of this electric car in 2026 and offer it to taxi companies for $30,000. This week, Musk explained that the Cybercab “costs about that much,” mentioning the amount of “about $25,000.” . The company will produce Cybercab at several enterprises simultaneously; if necessary, production volumes will be increased first to 2 million units per year, and over time to 4 million units per year.