Tesla Unveils Robovan Prototype at 'We, Robot' Event

Elon Musk made a splash Thursday night in Los Angeles at Tesla's "We, Robot" event, unveiling a prototype of the Robovan — a groundbreaking electric, self-driving vehicle. The Robovan is a large, bus-sized vehicle designed to transport people and goods in high-traffic areas. According to Musk, the Robovan can carry up to 20 passengers at a time.

Despite the car’s appearance at the event, Elon Musk offered little information about it. “We’re going to do this, and this is what it’s going to look like,” he said as the Robovan rolled onto center stage. That’s all Musk shared, though, and no one is certain when the Robovan will officially debut.

Robovan's unique design

The Robovan impresses with its retro and futuristic look. It is described as a bus from the animated series The Jetsons, with a design that closely resembles a classic toaster from the 1950s. The exterior of the car is covered in silver metal, combined with black details and LED strips running along both sides of the car. The doors of the Robovan are designed to slide out from the middle, creating optimal space for users. The interior includes seats and standing space, along with dark windows for a modern and luxurious feel. Notably, there is no steering wheel because the Robovan is completely autonomous.

“We want to change the way the roads look – and we did that with Cybertruck,” Musk said. “The future has to look like the future,” he stressed, echoing Tesla’s design philosophy.

Ability to compete with rivals

The Robovan's design shares similarities with other self-driving taxis like Zoox and Cruise. However, Tesla's Robovan is much larger. In China, WeRide has also introduced a similar Robobus, showing that competition in the field of self-driving cars is getting fiercer.

Still, the Robovan is just a prototype. No one knows exactly what the final product will look like or when it will hit the market. Tesla is keeping details about the vehicle’s production and development under wraps.

Production goals and future plans

The Robovan isn’t the only vehicle Tesla has hinted at in advance. At its 2023 Investor Day, Tesla teased two new vehicle lines, including a smaller vehicle, now believed to be the Cybercab, and a larger vehicle, now identified as the Robovan. At the time, Tesla set an ambitious goal: to produce 20 million vehicles per year by 2030, a figure that would require a 15-fold increase in production compared to 2022.

However, at Thursday’s event, Elon Musk did not provide further details about building new manufacturing facilities or renovating existing ones to accommodate Robovan and Cybercab production. Musk did, however, predict that Cybercab could enter production around 2026 or 2027.

The launch of Robovan marks a new step for Tesla in developing autonomous vehicles. Although there are still many unclear things about the official launch plan and time, Robovan still attracts attention thanks to its unique design and optimal transportation capacity. With what has been introduced, Tesla continues to affirm its pioneering position in the electric and autonomous vehicle industry, promising to bring big changes to the transportation system in the future.

Hung Nguyen (According to TechCrunch)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tesla-ra-mat-nguyen-mau-robovan-tai-su-kien-we-robot-post316323.html