From ExtremeTech: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been making promises about self-driving cars and robotaxis for years, but he's finally showing his cards. Musk has revealed the long-awaited self-driving Tesla taxi, dubbed the Cybercab. It's a compact two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals, operated entirely by Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology. That software is still imperfect on current vehicles, but the company claims the Cybercab will be safer than a human driver.
The vehicle, believed to be based on the canceled Model 2 budget EV, looks like a Model Y that has been slightly smushed lengthwise. The coupe has a large trunk instead of a second row of seating, which is a perplexing choice for public transportation. It has butterfly-style doors that open upward; again, that might not make the most sense for a robotic taxi that's going to be driving around on congested city streets, but it does make for a neat demo.
Musk rode the Cybertaxi around the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank to demonstrate the vehicle. This was clearly a controlled environment, but it won't be much different when the EV launches. The self-driving taxi will only operate in Texas and California at first, which allows Tesla to precisely map roadways. The company also hopes to enable unsupervised Full Self-Driving for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in those states starting next year.
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