①Consistent with the concept map in the book "The Musk Chronicles", the Tesla Robotaxi is a two-door, two-seat small car with larger rear wheel size and a long strip tail light similar to the Cybertruck at the rear; ② Tesla is currently scheduled to hold a press conference on October 10th.
On September 14, Financial Network News (Editor Shi Zhengcheng) while Google and Uber are busy expanding the territory of self-driving taxis, Tesla, which has been lurking behind them, is also reaching the "moment" of making a move.
There were previous rumors that $Tesla (TSLA.US)$ it will unveil the veil of the self-driving taxi "Cybercab" at the Warner Bros. Studios in California. The company has not yet publicly confirmed this, only stating that the press conference is tentatively scheduled for October 10th. Musk, the founder of the company, also responded this week that he believes October 10th is the most important day for Tesla since the release of the Model 3.
According to information from the studio staff, the Tesla team is mapping the area around the venue, apparently preparing for the press conference. Spy photos posted on the Reddit forum show a small, uniquely shaped and heavily disguised vehicle in the Tesla fleet, which is quickly seen as the upcoming Cybercab next month.
Generally speaking, car manufacturers will disguise vehicles during testing before a new car is released, such as applying zebra stripes. But obviously, Tesla engineers are happy to take some special approaches.
According to the spy photos, this is a two-door, two-seat vehicle, with its body covered in bright yellow tape, and it seems to have a few fake body panels attached. The rear of the vehicle intentionally features a box-shaped protrusion to conceal the body curves. Internet users who leaked the information revealed that this vehicle uses the same long strip taillights as the Cybertruck.
Tesla fans quickly realized that this vehicle is identical to the Robotaxi concept image revealed in Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk - the body is suitable for two adults, with ample storage space in the rear, and the rear wheels are one size larger than the front wheels (some analysts even claim that the rear wheels are normal size and the front wheels are mini).
Because this photo was taken from a distance, the informant stated that they couldn't see if there was a steering wheel on the driver's seat, but by increasing the photo's exposure, it can be seen that there is indeed a steering wheel on the driver's seat, and there is also something resembling a steering column nearby.
Further arousing the vigilance of internet users is the protrusion in the center of the roof. If this is not an intentional camouflage prop, it is believed to be a "lidar bump" (but it could also be nothing). Although this design is common, it is a big deal for Tesla. For years, the company has emphasized that lidar is not a necessary requirement for autonomous driving, but an excessive cost to configure.
In the latest earnings call, Musk said that the Robotaxi launch was delayed until October 10th because he requested some important changes to the vehicles, and he will also showcase a series of other things.
Elon Musk confirmed that Robotaxi will be produced at the super factory in Texas and will adopt a new 'boxless' manufacturing strategy - handling different parts of the car separately and only assembling them together in the final stage. In traditional car manufacturing models, the entire car body moves along the production line until final assembly. The company expects that this new process can reduce production costs by half and reduce factory floor space by 40%.
Editor/Somer