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"As everyone can see, I just arrived here in our Robotaxi (autonomous taxi), and there are more than 20 such vehicles outside. It can be observed that these Robotaxis are constantly driving on the road, and they are driverless inside," said Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, in his opening remarks at the "WE ROBOT" themed product launch event held at the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, USA, on October 11, Beijing time.
It is reported that Tesla has released the Robotaxi autonomous taxi service, two fully autonomous driving models, the Cybercab cyber unmanned taxi and the Robovan autonomous multi-purpose vehicle, and introduced wireless induction charging technology for Robotaxi.
Journalists learned that the Robotaxi service released by Tesla relies on the FSD full self-driving capability, allowing all Tesla car owners to join the shared fleet, in the form of a combination of Airbnb and Uber, revolutionizing the existing shared travel and rental travel business models. The two new models released, the Cybercab cyber unmanned taxi and the Robovan autonomous multi-purpose vehicle, will form a huge service operation network together with nearly 7 million Tesla electric vehicles already driving on the road.
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The cost of mass-produced humanoid robots is about 20,000 to 30,000 US dollars.
"What will the future be like with Robotaxis? Parking lots can be turned into parks to make cities better," Musk said. It is worth noting that both the Cybercab and Robovan released by Tesla have eliminated steering wheels and pedals.
Journalists learned that users will be able to purchase the Cybercab in the future, with an expected cost of less than 30,000 US dollars. The Cybercab is expected to achieve mass production between 2026 and 2027, equipped with an AI5 chip. The vehicle also lacks a charging port and will use wireless induction charging.
Before the mass production of this model, users can experience Robotaxi through the S3XY models and Cyber off-road travel vehicles equipped with unsupervised FSD full self-driving capabilities. All cars produced by Tesla will be compatible, provided that these models achieve unsupervised full self-driving after obtaining regulatory approval in the United States, and then will gradually be promoted to areas outside the United States.
Musk also mentioned the operating cost of the Cybercab. According to his estimate, the operating cost of the Cybercab may drop to about 20 US cents per mile (approximately 0.9 yuan/kilometer) over time, and the cost in the United States, including tax and other fees, is 30-40 US cents (approximately 1.3-1.8 yuan), which everyone can afford. The average cost per mile of urban buses in the United States is 1 US dollar (approximately 4.4 yuan/kilometer, not the bus fare, because the fare includes subsidies).
The reporter noticed that another autonomous driving vehicle released by Tesla this time is the Robovan. It is reported that this is a larger vehicle than the Model Y, which can carry 20 people at a time, and can be used for commercial travel, private travel, school buses, or cargo transportation. It is expected to reduce transportation costs to 5-10 US cents per mile (approximately 0.2 yuan-0.4 yuan/kilometer).In addition to the aforementioned two self-driving cars, Musk also introduced the Tesla humanoid robot, which shares the same origin as the car. It is reported that everything Tesla has developed for electric vehicles, such as batteries, power electronics, advanced electric drive systems, software systems, and artificial intelligence computers, is applicable to humanoid robots. The technology is of the same origin; it is just a robot with arms and legs but without wheels.
Journalists learned that the cost of mass-produced humanoid robots in the future is expected to be around $20,000 to $30,000, which may be cheaper than a car. According to Musk, they can serve as teachers, take care of children, walk dogs, mow lawns, shop, and pour drinks for you, among other things.
The "unsupervised version" of FSD full self-driving capability may be launched.
The release of Robotaxi services is inseparable from Tesla's strong technical strength. In terms of technology, behind Robotaxi is Tesla's FSD full self-driving capability. Based on the "end-to-end" large model algorithm and powerful computing power, FSD full self-driving capability will allow Tesla to travel anywhere on Earth without relying on high-precision maps in the future. According to Tesla's plan, by 2025, the "unsupervised version" of FSD full self-driving capability will be officially launched in Texas and California.
In addition, Tesla will continue to follow regulatory dynamics in places outside the United States. It is worth mentioning that the Model Y, which is now equipped with AI4 hardware, also supports the upgrade of full self-driving capability FSD.
It is understood that as of the second quarter of 2024, Tesla's FSD full self-driving capability has accumulated more than 1.6 billion miles (about 2.574 billion kilometers) of driving. With the continuous increase in Tesla's ownership and driving mileage, this training data will also accelerate.
"Tesla's FSD under the supervision of a driver has already done very well. FSD will transition from a supervised mode to an unsupervised full self-driving mode. You can get in the car directly, and the car can automatically take you to the destination. However, there is a challenge in the cost of vehicle manufacturing; buying a car costs money, insurance costs money, and car parking costs money, which is really very expensive," Musk said about the FSD that has attracted attention from the outside world.
Regarding full self-driving, Musk said that if the car is fully self-driving, it can increase the usage rate by 5 to 10 times, and the same car can obtain a value increase of 5 to 10 times, with the weekly usage time breaking through 100 hours or even reaching more than 160 hours.
In terms of safety, Musk said that the safety level achieved by FSD can exceed human driving by about 10 times. Relevant data shows that Tesla's Autopilot automatic assistance driving system has already reached a driving safety level 10.3 times that of ordinary driving.
Journalists learned that now, users can experience Tesla's intelligent driving strength on the Model S3XY first, and every Tesla has the configuration and capability to upgrade to more advanced autonomous driving software through OTA remote software upgrades. Tesla's millions of fleets are doing tests and collecting data, experiencing extreme situations that ordinary people may never encounter in their lifetime.Musk explained: "With so much training data, the FSD driving level will definitely be much higher than that of humans. After all, humans cannot live a million times, but so many cars collect different data for training and optimization, ultimately making FSD safer than human driving."
In addition to safety, Musk believes that in the future, vehicles will not only reduce casualties from accidents, but also free up people's time spent in cars. "You can imagine the car as a mobile living room, where you can comfortably stay inside and freely control your time."
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