Elon Musk’s Online Driver Killer
Blasted, Tesla Stocks Plunge
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia –– Tesla has just launched an automatic taxi or robotaxi that could be a ‘killer’ of online drivers. The reason is, the unit named ‘Cybercab’ can operate itself without being driven by humans.
Tesla can be said to be late in introducing robotaxi. Currently, Alphabet’s Waymo robotaxi is already on the streets of the United States (US). In China, many manufacturers have also tested robotaxi.
In addition to being introduced late, Cybercab also failed to impress investors. The reason is, the robotaxi only accommodates two seats with a sporty car-like design that has wing doors.
Overall, Tesla’s robotaxi is different from several other automatic taxis that have been announced earlier.
Investors question how a robotaxi with two seats can serve families who want to go to a restaurant or the airport. Investors also criticized the company’s future financial planning.
Tesla’s shares plunged 9% in trading on Friday (11/10) last week after launching Cybercab with a futuristic design and considered non-functional.
“When you think of a taxi, you automatically think of a vehicle that can carry more than two passengers,“ said Jonathan Elfalan, director of vehicle testing for the Edmunds automotive website.
“Making a robotaxi with only two seats is very confusing,” he said, quoted by Reuters, Monday (10/14/2024).
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The market for a two-seater robotaxi will be very limited, said Sandeep Rao, senior researcher at Leverage Shares. Leverage Shares is an investment management company with assets of more than US$1 billion, including Tesla.
In general, analytics firm J.D. Power said sales of two-door cars in the US, including SUVs and pickups, only account for 2% of total car sales.
Tesla’s Cybercab is said to go into production in 2026 with a price tag of less than US$30,000 or under Rp467 million.
Musk said he wanted to make robotaxes cheaper and predicted operating savings of about 20 cents per mile.
However, he did not say how quickly Tesla could mass produce Cybercab and obtain regulatory approval, like Alphabet’s Waymo.
In addition to Cybercab, Tesla also introduced Robovan, an automated bus that can carry up to 20 passengers. However, Tesla did not explain further when the device would begin mass production.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
