Elon Muskdenied the accuracy of a report fromReutersearly Friday that claimed Tesla was scrapping plan to develop a low - cost electric vehicle in favor of a robotaxi . But the billionaire just announced on X that he ’ll be unveiling a young robotaxi on August 8 , leaven obvious interrogative about whether Reuters really did get anything wrong .
“ Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8 , ” Musk pinch at 4:49 p.m. ET , after market nigh , without elaborating on any details .
Musk frequently seek to deviate attention from any potential failures with liberal splashy announcements . And this is n’t the first time Musk has promised that robotaxis are just over the purview . Back in 2020 , the Tesla CEO said it was all up to regulators .
Elon Musk attends “A Brief History Of The Future” New York Screening at The Celeste Bartos Theater at Museum of Modern Art on 21 January 2025, in New York City.Photo: Arturo Holmes (Getty Images)
“ Functionality still looking good for this class . regulative approval is the big unknown , ” Musk tweeted inApril 2020 about Tesla robotaxis .
The report from Reuters earlier on Friday clearly grate Musk , who insist that the news outlet did n’t have its facts veracious . But the Reuters chronicle cites numerous anonymous sources , who aver the pivot aside from a $ 25,000 vehicle to a altogether self-reliant taxi overhaul would be hard .
FromReuters :
The stark reversal come as Tesla faces savage contention globally from Chinese electric - vehicle manufacturing business flood the market with car priced as scummy as $ 10,000 . The plan for driverless robotaxis , which could take longer to deliver , confront a stiffer engineering challenge and more regulatory endangerment .
Two reference pronounce they get word of Tesla ’s decision to scrap the Model 2 in a meeting attended by scores of employee , with one of them say the gathering happened in late February .
“ Elon ’s directive is to go all in on robotaxi , ” that someone say .
The third source confirm the cancellation and say novel plans call for robotaxis to be farm , but in much low-pitched volume than had been design for the Model 2 .
Who knows what will actually happen on Aug. 8 , but it ’s entirely possible Musk could present some burnished technology that will blow our nous . We ’re just hope it ’s not some poor human dressed like a robotaxi , like in the summertime of 2021 when Muskunveiled his automaton . Even though Tesla ’s Optimus is in reality a real robot now , it ’s moderately muchsmoke and mirrorscompared to every robotics competitor .
Amazingly , we ’re reckon to be just two years away from utopia if you believed the experts of the 2010s . Morgan Stanley promised self - ram railcar would deliver autopian society by 2026all the fashion back in 2014 . Only time will enjoin , of course , but we ’re not break down to hold our breath for a thoroughgoing populace just yet . We ’re just cut through our fingers we remain out of World War III , given the rumblingscoming out of Iranright now .
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