Tesla CEO Elon Musk presented the Robovan automated bus at the We, Robot event. Robovan can be used for passenger transportation of up to 20 people or for cargo transportation. This was reported by The Verge.
Tesla Robovan has a futuristic design that looks more like a train locomotive than a car. It has no visible wheels or even a windshield. Musk says that their use should be cheaper than traditional public transportation.
"“The Robovan is what’s gonna solve for high density,” says Musk. “So if you want to take a sports team somewhere, or you’re looking to really get the cost of travel down to, I don’t know, 5-10, cents a mile, then you can use the robovan.”
Was able to sit in the Cybervan. Very spacious feeling interior and really futuristic inside.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) October 11, 2024
Will be interesting to see when these things actually hit the streets. pic.twitter.com/PXos0SvkW6
Robovan is designed for the Tesla Network, an autonomous ride-hailing service for specially built self-driving cars as well as personal vehicles of Tesla customers.
Tesla has hinted at a bus before. In its Part Deux master plan, the company said it was developing “high passenger-density urban transport.”
It is unknown when and if Tesla's automated public transport will appear at all. In its plan for the release of new products, Tesla lists "bus" and "commercial/passenger vans" as TBD. This means that there is no exact information yet and it will be announced later.
In addition, Elon Musk also announced the Tesla Cybercab, a robot taxi for two passengers. It already looks more like a car, but it doesn't even have a steering wheel or pedals.