Tesla is delaying the unveiling of its long-promised fully autonomous robotaxis until October to give its engineering team more time to build and test prototypes, Bloomberg reports. The event was originally scheduled for August 8th.
The delay was communicated internally to Tesla employees but has not yet been publicly announced. CEO Elon Musk has not yet commented on this.
On a conference call, Musk reiterated that Tesla is not a traditional car company, but an AI and robotics company. Responding to questions about affordable electric vehicles, he said: “We really should be considered an AI robotics company.”
Musk has been talking about the possibility of a Tesla robotaxis for a long time. He speculated that Tesla owners could generate revenue from their autonomous cars by using them to transport passengers.
However, many of Musk’s predictions about fully autonomous vehicles are not arrived. Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems continue to require drivers’ attention. The company is currently battling multiple wrongful death lawsuits accidents.
Operate in the meantime Waymo and other companies already have fully autonomous robotaxis in several US cities.
Tesla calls the robotaxi “purpose-built,” which in the autonomous vehicle industry describes vehicles that are designed from the ground up for self-driving purposes and often lack traditional controls like steering wheels and pedals.