Tesla's Elon Musk unveils two-door robotaxi

Tesla's Elson Musk showcased a long-promised robotaxi, featuring two gull-wing doors with no steering wheel or pedals, at an event on Thursday.

Musk, who arrived at the stage in one of the robotaxis - called Cybercab - said production will start in 2026 and the vehicles will be available for customers to buy for less than $30,000 (AED 110,000). They will cost 20 cents (AED 0.04) a mile to operate, he said.

"The vast majority of the time, cars are just doing nothing," he said on stage. "But if they’re autonomous, they could be used five times more, maybe 10 times more."

Musk's plan is to operate a fleet of self-driving Tesla taxis called Cybercabs that passengers can hail through an app. Individual Tesla owners will also be able to make money on the app by listing their vehicles as robotaxis.

Robotaxi is premium point-to-point electric transport, accessible to everyone pic.twitter.com/oLykwaaTHm

— Tesla (@Tesla) October 11, 2024

Thursday's event at the Warner Bros studio near Los Angeles, California, is titled "We, Robot" - an apparent nod to the "I, Robot" science-fiction short stories by American writer Isaac Asimov, but also echoes Musk's insistence that Tesla "should be thought of as an AI robotics company" rather than an automaker.

Those attending will include investors, stock analysts and Tesla fans. Topping their list of questions will be how quickly can Tesla ramp up robotaxi production, at what cost, and, crucially, how much money it can make from the taxi business.

Eyes will also be on progress the company has made with the partial automation software it markets as Full Self-Driving that company watchers expect to underpin its robotaxis.

Musk could also give details on cheaper versions of Tesla's current EVs as well as updates on its humanoid robot Optimus.

Musk said in 2019 he was "very confident" the company would have operational robotaxis by the next year. After missed promises, Musk this year diverted his focus to developing the vehicles after scrapping plans to build a smaller, cheaper car widely seen as essential to countering slowing EV demand.