Tesla robotaxi event: how to watch and what to expect

Tesla is unveiling its self-driving Robotaxi, a purpose-built autonomous vehicle designed to reposition the company as a leader in AI and robotics.

The new robotaxi will be unveiled at Warner Bros. film studios in Burbank, California, where Tesla reportedly collected new mapping data in advance of the event. Tesla still has a long way to go to prove it can bring a driverless vehicle to market that can compete with robotaxi competitors like Waymo and Cruise. And Elon Musk is expected to lay out his vision for the Tesla Network, in which Tesla owners can add their autonomous vehicles to a robotaxi fleet when they are not using them.

Tesla had originally planned to unveil the robotaxi in August, but Musk pushed the date back to October 10 to allow more time to work on the prototype. The company might also have a few surprises up its sleeve. Could a cheaper Tesla be coming? Maybe they took the time to reveal the rumored “Juniper” Model Y? Maybe a self-driving van?

Tesla sent out invitations to the event titled “We, Robot,” a nod to Isaac Asimov’s groundbreaking work Me, robot. It could also indicate that we're getting an update on the company's humanoid Optimus bot. However, to find out, we'll have to watch the live stream as the company only invited a limited number of people, including investors and influencers.

Tesla's Robotaxi presentation “We, Robot” takes place on Thursday, October 10th at 10:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. CT / 7:00 p.m. PT.

Tesla will be livestreaming the Robotaxi event

Since 2019, Musk has promised that vehicles that are fully self-driving will eventually be able to make money for their owners by operating autonomously in a “Tesla network” and chauffeuring people. He promised that there would be a “million” robotaxis on the road by 2020, but that goal post kept moving lower.

Although Tesla's Level 2 driver assistance system is quite powerful, it has yet to prove that it can drive driverless with just a camera-based vision system compared to existing robotaxi companies that use multiple redundant sensors, including lidar. The robotaxi, that Bloomberg There will reportedly be a two-seater with butterfly doors, which will complement private vehicles being added to the Tesla network.

A heavily camouflaged and oddly shaped yellow car was spotted at the scene, which may have more than just cameras. The company purchased a series of lidar sensors from Luminar to validate its robotaxi tests. Musk has called lidars a “crutch” for autonomous vehicles and insisted that the camera-based Tesla Vision system is the way forward.

A lot depends on the success of Tesla's robotaxi. Musk is transitioning the company toward robots and autonomous systems just as the company's EV sales have stalled.

Tesla's humanoid Optimus robot will also likely spend some time in the spotlight. The robot should be able to carry out “useful tasks” by the end of this year. And Musk said it will be a product you can buy by the end of 2025. As with all lofty goals, take it with a grain of salt – but we can expect to see an update for Optimus on Thursday. After all, the event is called “We, Robot”.

Musk has told shareholders that a new and cheaper Tesla is back on the menu after initial reports suggested it would be scrapped. A $25,000 Tesla could revolutionize the electric vehicle market by finally meeting demand for cheaper electric cars and competing with lower-cost Chinese electric vehicles.

However, Tesla could also release a cheaper Model 3 to fill this market, rather than creating a promised cheaper “Gen 3” platform. Tesla recently discontinued the standard Model 3, which was its cheapest vehicle under $40,000.

The last time Tesla had an Apple-like “one more thing” surprise was the unveiling of the new Tesla Roadster at the Tesla Semi event in 2017. The Roadster still hasn't gone into production, but now says Musk this will happen next year. We might also just get an update on the Model Y's expected “Juniper” redesign.

But the robotaxi will be the star of the show. And with so much riding on its success, it will certainly be interesting to hear Musk lay out his vision for the future.