Tesla Cybercab service to be cheaper than public buses, claims Elon Musk

Autonomous cars are not a fantasy any more. Advancements in technology have made self-driving vehicles a very real project a number of companies in the fast lane towards rolling out these mobility options. One of the quickest among these is Tesla and the Tesla Cybercab was recently unveiled as your next big-ticket mobility option. And with it comes the promise of a ride that is more affordable than one on public buses.

The Tesla Cybercab, also previously referred to as robotaxi, has been a long-standing project led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk has been a very vocal advocate of self-driving vehicles and many of the Tesla EVs sold to private customers also come with the company's FSD or Full-Self-Driving technology. But the Cybercab is different from anything Tesla has offered anywhere so far because it will be a fleet-only model meant to eliminate the need for a driver to drive you around. Intelligent? Yes. Advanced? Yes. Cheaper? That too.

Which is the most-affordable Tesla?

Tesla has been working overtime to turn Cybercab into a reality and has now confirmed that mass production will start from 2026 onwards. Musk has even stuck his neck out to play the game of economics with each unit of the self-driving taxi to cost less than $30,000 or approximately ₹25.19 lakh. This will make Cybercab the cheapest Tesla anywhere in the world. At present, the most-affordable Tesla is Model 3 which starts at $40,630 (approximately ₹34.15 lakh).

File photo: Tesla Model 3 electric cars are seen at a production facility in Shanghai. (REUTERS)

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File photo: Tesla Model 3 electric cars are seen at a production facility in Shanghai. (REUTERS)

But it isn't just the purchase price that Tesla is focusing on. “It will be cheaper than mass transit. They will be available for customers to buy at less than $30,000. They will cost 20 cents a mile to operate, compared to the $1 per mile for city buses," Musk said during the course of the unveiling event.

Musk also, and once again, claimed that these robotaxis would be safer than any human-driven taxi. This is a very big deal. It will save lives, a lot of lives, and prevent injuries."

Tesla OTP - One Trip Please!

Where is that steering? Tesla Cybercab has a minimalist layout inside. And quite literally at that.

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Where is that steering? Tesla Cybercab has a minimalist layout inside. And quite literally at that.

Cybercab is being hailed as safer and cheaper. And while you may be able to save money once the public roll-out begins in the US from 2026, are these really all that Musk is claiming?

Self-driving vehicles have a huge number of critics, many of whom suspect the ability of such vehicles to navigate in dynamic environments. While equipped with a battery of sensors, cameras and radars, critics argue that both the software and hardware cannot possibly account for - or predict - movements from non-self-driving vehicles and environmental conditions. Not at all times at least, they say.

But with Cybercabs, there is a bigger moral issue as well. It is argued that robotaxis will force scores of human drivers out of their means of livelihood. There have been protests by labour-union groups in the US who are vehemently opposed to any green signal to such vehicles coming into mass operation. Similar protests have been organised - or at least concerns raised - in counrties like China and Japan. In India, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has clearly said he will not allow driverless cars in the country. "I will never allow driverless cars to come into India because it will take away the jobs of several drivers and I will not let that happen," he had said back in December of 2023. “The technology is meant for countries with small population but not India."

But it is counter-argued by many that just as AI or Artificial Intelligence expands its scale and scope, and that its existence is inevitable, AI-enabled vehicles too will become far more common. The idea then is to walk a tight-rope between convenience, advanced mobility and a human-centric approach.

Check out Upcoming EV Cars in India, Upcoming EV Bikes in India.