Tesla robotaxi: First spy photos of autonomous electric car

09/16/2024 01:00 AM

The upcoming Tesla autonomous robotaxi – a small electric vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals – has been caught on camera less than a month ahead of its global reveal.

A now-deleted photo posted to social media website Reddit by user u/boopitysmopp shows a small, heavily-disguised car testing on the roads inside the Warner Bros movie studio near Los Angeles, California.

While the test vehicle has not been confirmed as the Teslarobotaxi, its shape is reminiscent of design study models depicting a small, two-door, two-seat car published in CEO Elon Musk’s biography.

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Tesla has fitted blocks under the yellow wrap of the prototype – including behind the cabin, and on the nose – to disguise its true shape.

Keen-eyed Reddit users have pinpointed where the car was spotted, an intersection behind a secure boom gate inside the Warner Bros studio in Burbank – where the robotaxi will be unveiled on 10 October 2024.

It is expected to wear futuristic Cybertruck-inspired styling, with the photographer of the image claiming the prototype was fitted with a full-width LED tail-light bar akin to Tesla’s pick-up.

Musk has previously suggested the car will be named Cybercab, in line with its styling.

Two Lamborghini-style ‘scissor’ doors are expected to feature, as well as a minimalist cabin with two seats and one large screen.

The prototype is being followed by a white Tesla Model Y – in an area that appears to be inaccessible to the general public without an ID pass or permit – adding weight to the theory that this is the robotaxi.

The image was shared as a comment under another Reddit post showing a fleet of Tesla vehicles inside the Warner Bros studio, which are reportedly being used to test Full Self-Driving around its roads.

If previous Tesla new-model unveiling events are a guide, the car maker is likely to offer rides in the robotaxi after its debut, so the company appears to be working to make sure the vehicles are familiar with the roads inside the studio premises.

“For the last week, Tesla has been driving these test vehicles around the lot at night. I think it is for some sort of upcoming FSD test,” Reddit user u/dent3dwheel said in the post on the r/TeslaMotors forum.

The robotaxi will be Tesla’s first vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, and will instead drive itself through a series of high-resolution cameras, and the company’s latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.

MORE: Tesla delays reveal of new autonomous robotaxi, here's why

News agency Bloomberg reports Tesla is working on a ride-sharing app, which will operate a fleet of its robotaxi models – driven autonomously – alongside regular FSD-equipped Tesla cars without a human behind the wheel.

For now, Tesla Full Self-Driving is still only ‘semi-autonomous’ – with the driver required to keep their hands on the steering wheel, and ready to take over if the vehicle requires.

The technology would need to progress into a fully autonomous system if it is to be used in the robotaxi, which will lack a steering wheel and pedals.

Full Self-Driving is currently limited to the United States, though it is expected to go global next year – including select right-hand-drive markets in March or April, “pending regulatory approval,” according to Musk.

A Tesla Model 3 with cameras in the rear-side windows (below) – among other new locations – has been seen testing in the US, believed to be developing the hardware destined for the robotaxi.

It is set to be underpinned by Tesla’s ‘next-generation’ vehicle platform, which will introduce a radical new manufacturing method designed to reduce costs.

MORE: Is this mirrorless Model 3 testing Tesla's autonomous robotaxi?

The robotaxi was long expected to be joined by a conventional small car with a steering wheel and pedals, priced from about $US25,000 ($AU37,500) price – compared to $US38,990 ($AU58,500) for the cheapest Model 3 in the US.

However, reports indicate it has been scrapped in favour of plans for more affordable Tesla cars built on the familiar underpinnings of the Model 3 and Model Y, due in the first half of 2025.

Tesla delayed the reveal of the robotaxi from August 8 to October 10 due to a last-minute design change, as well as a desire to “add in a couple other things for the product unveil,” CEO Elon Musk told media and investors in July.

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