Tesla’s robotaxi occasion is delayed till October

An extended-awaited Tesla occasion showcasing a robotaxi platform is being delayed from August till someday in October, Bloomberg reviews. The information has solely been shared inside the corporate to this point, in keeping with sources, who add that the design staff engaged on prototypes was advised it needed to rework some components. Extra prototype autos are additionally mentioned to be wanted earlier than the occasion can go off.

CEO Elon Musk initially teased the robotaxi showcase in April 2024, when he set an August 8 goal date. However little else has been heard concerning the occasion since, which can imply that the date was a hopeful projection on Musk’s half slightly than primarily based on formulated plans. The chief is thought to typically make claims in public that his personal staff aren’t ready for, such because the second-generation Roadster — nonetheless unreleased — being sooner than first supposed.

Technical hurdles are normal fare within the self-driving automobile trade, nonetheless. Whereas there are already robotaxis working in US cities like Phoenix and San Francisco, even these are coping with occasional navigation issues, corresponding to being overly cautious or stopping once they should not. With personal autos, in the meantime, Tesla’s personal Full Self-Driving function has typically been criticized as unreliable and deployed to homeowners too early.

What is going to the Tesla robotaxi appear like?

We cannot know for certain till the press occasion, particularly because the robotaxi program has been in flux. Tesla at one level needed its taxi and $25,000 “Mannequin 2” to share the identical platform, however feedback from Musk recommend the taxi is now being purpose-built, presumably ditching a steering wheel fully. Even the destiny of the Mannequin 2 is unknown — whereas Musk has denied claims that the mission was canceled, constructing a high quality EV below $30,000 — and sometimes $40,000, for that matter — has been a serious problem for US automakers.

Complicating the scenario are the large layoffs Musk ordered earlier in 2024, impacting over 10% of Tesla’s workforce. Most manufacturing automation is a objective of the corporate, however among the folks compelled out have been on the corporate’s design and engineering groups.