Musk unveils long-awaited robotaxi

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the electric vehicle (EV) company’s long-awaited robotaxi Thursday night, showing off a fleet of sleek self-driving cars with no steering wheels or pedals. 

The Cybercab is expected to be in production before 2027 and to cost less than $30,000, Musk said at the highly choreographed “We, Robot” event at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

He estimated that the operating cost of the Cybercab will be about 20 cents per mile and that the cost for riders will be about 30 or 40 cents per mile.  

Like other autonomous vehicle developers, the tech mogul argued that the Cybercab will be safer than a human driver, noting that the artificial intelligence (AI) behind the robotaxi is trained on numerous cars and has vastly more experience than any human driver could. 

Musk on Thursday also unveiled the Robovan, a self-driving van that can carry up to 20 people or transport goods. 

The robotaxi event, which was originally slated for August, comes as Musk also ramps up his involvement in politics amid the final weeks before the election. The billionaire appeared alongside former President Trump in Pennsylvania last weekend, where he touted himself as being “dark MAGA.” 

Musk, who endorsed Trump in July, plans to make more appearances in the key battleground state over the next few weeks. The appearances will be backed by America PAC, the pro-Trump super PAC he founded earlier this year that has taken on a leading role in the former president’s get-out-the-vote efforts in swing states. 

America PAC is currently offering individuals $47 for each swing state voter they get to sign a petition supporting the First and Second amendments, in an apparent attempt to identify potential Trump voters in the key states. 

The super PAC has raked in millions of dollars from Musk’s conservative allies in Silicon Valley. His own contributions to America PAC remain unknown, although an upcoming reporting deadline should reveal more about the funds Musk put toward the PAC.