Tesla boss Elon Musk is to unveil a prototype of the firm’s long-awaited robotaxi, the Cybercab, at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California on Thursday.
Self-driving cars have long fascinated Mr Musk and he has made a series of bold predictions about them – including that they will save lives or earn their owners money, through being rented out for rides or even overnight stays.
But when he takes to the stage for Tesla’s “We, Robot” event he will be under pressure to quell doubts about whether the company can deliver on those ambitions.
The project has already undergone delays, having been originally due for release in August – and some analysts also say it is a distraction for a company that should be focussing on releasing a lower cost electric vehicle (EV).
Meanwhile, robotaxis developed by driverless car rivals such as Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, are already operating on some US roads.
Mr Musk explained away the latest delay to Tesla’s robotaxi offering by saying, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), that it was down to some last minute changes from him.
Mr Musk explained away the latest delay to Tesla’s robotaxi offering by saying, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), that it was down to some last minute changes from him.
But analysts say it is now time for the company to show real progress with the project.
“There is certainly heavy build-up after discussing the Robotaxi concept without concrete details for so long,” said Jessica Caldwell of edmunds.com.
“The expectation is that this event should clear the air on the concept,” Caldwell added, saying it would be a “letdown” if Tesla failed to reveal a developed concept and operational details on Thursday.
Elon Musk has previously been keen to have the media attend his product launches.
But, despite multiple enquiries, the BBC did not secure an invitation to Tesla’s Cybercab unveiling.
An anchor at Bloomberg TV has also posted publicly on X about wanting to cover the event in person – even tagging Mr Musk directly – without success.
It will be livestreamed on X at 19:00 Pacific Time in the US on Thursday, or approximately 03:00 in the UK on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, robotaxis developed by driverless car rivals such as Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, are already operating on some US roads.
