Tesla unveiled its long-awaited robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night, though fans of the electric vehicle maker will have to wait until at least 2026 before they are available.
CEO Elon Musk pulled up to a stage at the Warner Bros. studio lot in one of the company's 鈥淐ybercabs," telling the crowd that the sleek, AI-powered vehicles don't have steering wheels or pedals. He also expressed confidence in the progress the company has made on autonomous driving technology that makes it possible for vehicles to drive without human intervention.
Tesla began selling the software, which is called 鈥淔ull Self-Driving,鈥 nine years ago. But there are doubts about its reliability.
鈥淲e鈥檒l move from supervised Full Self-Driving to unsupervised Full Self-Driving. where you can fall asleep and wake up at your destination,鈥 he said. "It鈥檚 going to be a glorious future.鈥
Tesla expects the Cybercabs to cost under US$30,000, Musk said. He estimated that the vehicles would become available in 2026, then added 鈥渂efore 2027.鈥
The company also expects to make the Full Self-Driving technology available on its popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Texas and California next year.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e going to eventually get to robotaxis, they first need to have success with the unsupervised FSD at the current lineup,鈥 said Seth Goldstein, equity strategist at Morningstar Research. 鈥淭onight鈥檚 event showed that they're ready to take that step forward.鈥
When Tesla will actually take that step, however, has led to more than a little anxiety for investors who see other automakers deploying similar technology right now. Shares of Tesla Inc. tumbled almost seven per cent before the opening bell Friday.
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet Inc., is carrying passengers in vehicles without human safety drivers in Phoenix and other areas. General Motors鈥 Cruise self-driving unit had been running robotaxis in San Francisco until a crash last year involving one of its vehicles.
Also, Aurora Innovation said it will start hauling freight in fully autonomous semis on Texas freeways by year鈥檚 end. Another autonomous semi company, Gatik, plans to haul freight autonomously by the end of 2025.
鈥淭esla yet again claimed it is a year or two away from actual automated driving -- just as the company has been claiming for a decade. Indeed, Tesla鈥檚 whole event had a 2014 vibe, except that in 2014 there were no automated vehicles actually deployed on public roads,鈥 Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who studies automated vehicles, told The Associated Press in an email. 鈥淣ow there are real AVs carrying real people on real roads, but none of those vehicles are Teslas. Tonight did not change this reality; it only made the irony more glaring.鈥
Tesla had 20 or so Cybercabs on hand and offered event attendees the opportunity to take rides inside the movie studio lot 鈥 not on Los Angeles' roads.
At the presentation, which was dubbed 鈥淲e, Robot鈥 and was streamed live on Tesla鈥檚 website and X, Musk also revealed a sleek minibus-looking vehicle that, like the Cybercab, would be self-driving and can carry up to 20 passengers.
The company also trotted out several of its black and white Optimus humanoid robots, which walked a few feet from the attendees before showing off dance moves in a futuristic-looking gazebo.
Musk estimated that the robots would cost between US$28,000-US$30,000 and would be able to babysit, mow lawns, fetch groceries, among other tasks.
鈥淲hatever you can think of, it will do,鈥 he said.
The unveiling of the Cybercab comes as Musk tries to persuade investors that his company is more about artificial intelligence and robotics as it labors to sell its core products, an aging lineup of electric vehicles.
Tesla鈥檚 model lineup is struggling and isn鈥檛 likely to be refreshed until late next year at the earliest, TD Cowen analyst Jeff Osborne wrote in a research note last week.
Osborne also noted that, in TD Cowen鈥檚 view, the 鈥減oliticization of Elon鈥 is tarnishing the Tesla brand among Democrat buyers in the U.S.
Musk has endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and has pushed many conservative causes. Last weekend he joined Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.
Musk has been saying for more than five years that a fleet of robotaxis is near, allowing Tesla owners to make money by having their cars carry passengers while they鈥檙e not in use by the owners.
But he has acknowledged that past predictions for the use of autonomous driving proved too optimistic. In 2019, he promised the fleet of autonomous vehicles by the end of 2020.
The announcement comes as U.S. safety regulators are investigating Full Self Driving and Autopilot based on evidence that it has a weak system for making sure human drivers pay attention.
In addition, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration forced Tesla to recall Full Self-Driving in February because it allowed speeding and violated other traffic laws, especially near intersections. Tesla was to fix the problems with an online software update.
Last April in Snohomish County, Washington, near Seattle, a Tesla using Full Self-Driving hit and killed a motorcyclist, authorities said. The Tesla driver told authorities that he was using the system while looking at his phone when the car rear-ended the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
NHTSA says it鈥檚 evaluating information on the fatal crash from Tesla and law enforcement officials.
The Justice Department also has sought information from Tesla about Full Self-Driving and Autopilot, as well as other items.
Krisher reported from Detroit.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to start negotiating pharmacare deals as soon as possible, now that the federal legislation to enact the program has become law.
If you are one of the millions with heart disease, you have a higher risk for future dementia, according to the American Heart Association.
Whether you're looking to pay off debt, save for a big purchase, or simply give yourself greater financial stability, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the best ways to boost your income.
Florida residents repaired damage from Hurricane Milton and cleaned up debris Friday after the storm smashed through coastal communities and tore homes to pieces, flooded streets and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.
Quebecer Stephan Perreault and his team of linemen have been helping restore power in North Carolina since Hurricane Helene hit in late September, and they don't expect to be heading home any time soon.
The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.
Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
When Netflix鈥檚 hit show 'Emily in Paris' revealed at the end of season four that its lead character was heading to Rome, it caught many viewers by surprise. Now, French President Emmanuel Macron has waded into the conversation.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivours of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism against nuclear weapons.
Global Affairs Canada says it's aware of reports of the death of a Canadian in Lebanon.
A B.C. man was found guilty and sentenced for murder after failing to convince a judge that the woman he killed and dismembered consented to the strangulation that caused her death.
The sexual assault trial of a Toronto councillor continued Thursday in a Bracebridge courtroom.
The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed a bid to appeal by accusers of former University of British Columbia writing professor and novelist Steven Galloway, paving the way for his defamation case against them to go to trial.
For years, the Feast in the Highlands atop Hunters Mountain - just off Cape Breton's Cabot Trail - has been a Mi'kmaq fall tradition, but this year was a bit different.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they made an unusual seizure during a recent drug trafficking investigation.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivours of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism against nuclear weapons.
Florida residents repaired damage from Hurricane Milton and cleaned up debris Friday after the storm smashed through coastal communities and tore homes to pieces, flooded streets and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes.
One person was killed and 12 people were rescued after being trapped for about six hours at the bottom of a former Colorado gold mine when an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said.
Gunmen killed 20 miners and wounded another seven in Pakistan鈥檚 southwest, a police official said Friday, drawing condemnation from authorities as a search was launched for the assailants.
Ethel Kennedy, the wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy who raised their 11 children after he was assassinated and remained dedicated to social causes and the family's legacy for decades thereafter, died on Thursday, her family said. She was 96.
A congressional candidate who said he was tricked by Democrats into running as a spoiler in a competitive House race in Minnesota suspended his campaign Thursday and endorsed his Republican rival.
Former public safety minister Bill Blair is expected to face questions at a federal inquiry today about why it took much longer than usual to sign off on a spy service warrant in 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to start negotiating pharmacare deals as soon as possible, now that the federal legislation to enact the program has become law.
Donald Trump has vowed to renegotiate the USMCA free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
If you are one of the millions with heart disease, you have a higher risk for future dementia, according to the American Heart Association.
Twin brothers who were born conjoined recently celebrated their first birthday after undergoing successful separation surgery.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on provinces and territories to start negotiating pharmacare deals as soon as possible, now that the federal legislation to enact the program has become law.
Expectations are high for the long-awaited unveiling of Tesla's robotaxi at a Hollywood studio Thursday night. Too high for some analysts and investors.
Florida saw a record number of tornado warnings in a single day Wednesday. An expert says this phenomenon is not unheard of.
A new 3D scan has revealed previously unseen details of the wreck of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton鈥檚 HMS Endurance, which was found in 2022 鈥 more than a century after the ship sank.
Set to premiere next year, the film '111' is a joint Canadian-Swiss production that follows the interwoven stories of four people in the aftermath of the Sept. 2, 1998 Swissair crash near Peggy's Cove, N.S.
When Netflix鈥檚 hit show 'Emily in Paris' revealed at the end of season four that its lead character was heading to Rome, it caught many viewers by surprise. Now, French President Emmanuel Macron has waded into the conversation.
CTV film critic Richard Crouse says 'The Apprentice' is several things: It's the making of MAGA. It's a story of unchecked ambition. It鈥檚 a cautionary tale.
Statistics Canada is expected to provide its latest snapshot of the job market this morning when it releases its labour force survey for the month of September.
Whether you're looking to pay off debt, save for a big purchase, or simply give yourself greater financial stability, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the best ways to boost your income.
In a letter to the federal government, executives from 10 industry groups are demanding that officials take action to ease the threat of work stoppages at key transport hubs and arteries.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
As a parent, you want your child to spread their wings and fly, not crash down to reality when they first enter the job market.
An elevator mechanic mistakenly threw out a piece of artwork, made to look like empty beer cans, assuming it was litter, a Dutch museum revealed earlier this month.
Former Toronto Raptors guard Danny Green has announced his retirement from the NBA.
Strong winds from Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage to the roof of St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field, home of the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays.
Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at age 38, he announced in a video message Thursday, after winning 22 Grand Slam titles 鈥 14 at the French Open 鈥 during an unprecedented era he shared with rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.
There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
Emmy Casper-Joe hadn鈥檛 even reached her teens when she started to struggle with her mental health.
B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad pledges to overhaul BC Ferries, while NDP Leader David Eby promises to attract more doctors to B.C. with new payment model.
Seven Vancouver police officers involved in the beating death of Myles Gray nine years ago have been cleared of wrongdoing by a police discipline authority.
A worker has been transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries following a collision involving a Ministry of Transportation vehicle on Hwy. 403 in Burlington.
The victim of a violent robbery in Thornhill says he had $100,000 to $110,000 stolen from him after being boxed in his car.
Toronto鈥檚 chief of police and Ontario鈥檚 solicitor general will provide an update on provincial air support in the city, a little over two months after the government announced it was buying five new helicopters to fight crime in the province.
The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have voted to send a mediator-recommended settlement with the provincial government to its more than 30,000 members for a ratification vote.
Police officers and dogs were on the hunt for a suspect in the aftermath of a shooting in Forest Lawn Thursday night.
More than a month after the Alberta government announced it would be pulling funding for Calgary's Green Line project, Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says progress has been made.
The aurora borealis was visible across the national capital region Thursday night, the second time this week the dazzling display was seen in the region.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at things to do in Ottawa and eastern Ontario over the Thanksgiving weekend.
OC Transpo says moving forward, its Zero Emission Buses (ZEB) program will procure 40-foot e-buses due to limited availability from manufacturers of 60-foot articulated buses.
Quebec restaurant employees are earning a higher wage and working fewer hours than the servers, dishwashers and bartenders in other Canadian provinces, according to a new report from the Quebec Restaurant Association.
Over 100 homeowners attended a Pierrefonds-Roxboro meeting on Thursday night to learn more about the proposed flood maps for their Montreal borough. They are not confident the maps are accurate or fair.
A 28-year-old man has died after being shot in a Laval parking lot Thursday afternoon, police say.
An Edmonton daycare has been shut down after failing to address concerns about unsupervised children, the province said Thursday.
The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have voted to send a mediator-recommended settlement with the provincial government to its more than 30,000 members for a ratification vote.
A controversial casino has been approved for south Edmonton.
Maritime motorists are paying more at the pumps ahead of the Thanksgiving long weekend after the price of gas and diesel jumped significantly overnight.
The northern lights were visible in parts of Canada Thursday night, including in the Maritimes.
A special weather statement is in effect for parts of Nova Scotia, warning of windy conditions on Saturday.
A woman is speaking out after an assault on a Winnipeg Transit bus sent her and her daughter to the hospital.
The superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) has apologized over a message displayed during a professional development day on Wednesday.
A new report taking a second look at sleep safety in infants found a fundamental shift is needed to prevent babies from unnecessarily dying in their sleep.
RCMP say officers have found an abandoned vehicle and seized a firearm connected to an armed robbery in the Whitewood, Sask. area Wednesday night, but are still on the hunt for two suspects.
Amid what could be Saskatchewan's tightest election in 17 years, the leader of the NDP is asking voters to set party politics aside and support what's the best course for the province.
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says he would get tough on those disrupting the public and will shut down nuisance properties if re-elected premier on Oct. 28.
Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest officially gets underway Friday with a big celebration in front of Kitchener City Hall. Here's what you need to know.
Ontario Provincial Police have arrested a Waterloo man who they believe is linked to a group that has been scamming victims across Canada.
A failed condo development in Kitchener is in new hands, leaving those who purchased property with a decision to make.
Emails obtained by 麻豆传媒 show a Saskatoon private school embroiled in abuse allegations considered mayoral hopeful Gord Wyant a "friend," but he says he cut off contact when the allegations came to light.
Saskatoon's civic election is inching closer, as candidates are now finalized ahead of voting day on Nov. 13.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is responding to a report of an armed carjacking in Red Pheasant First Nation.
A 14-year-old student received non-life-threatening injuries Thursday afternoon in a collision with a vehicle in Chelmsford in Greater Sudbury.
Glenn Thompson packs his E-bike to make the short trip back to the room he鈥檚 renting. Just a few short weeks ago, he was living in a tent.
An Ontario man said he feels 'devastated' after learning his identity was stolen to take out two fraudulent loans under his name.
Officers investigated several complaints they received about the owner of McMillan Flooring and More Inc. soliciting business between May and June, taking deposits and then not doing the work.
At around 9:15 a.m. emergency services responded to reports of a possible stabbing in the area of Oxford Street West and Fiddlers Green Road.
More than halfway through a licensing and safety blitz by the City of London, almost a third of the Ubers and Lyfts checked have failed their inspections.
Local photographer grabs stellar photos of Northern Lights.
OPP are running Operation Impact on Thanksgiving weekend to ensure highway safety.
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare's hospital redevelopment plan is ready for submission.
Windsor police are asking the public for help in locating a 12 year old reported as missing. Omar Abdelsalan was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of Clarence Drive and Fontainbleu Park.
If you are leaving Windsor-Essex for Thanksgiving this weekend, here are some tips, provided by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The removal of 13 vehicles and one trailer from the Detroit River in Sandwich Town is complete.
A suspect has been arrested after allegedly shooting a pellet gun at someone in a Victoria parking lot last week, according to authorities.
It was a special day for five rescued harbour seals and the people who helped prepare them for their return to life in the wild.
Mounties on Vancouver Island say they made an unusual seizure during a recent drug trafficking investigation.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
The Interfaith Food Bank is busy preparing Thanksgiving bundles and has some tips for anyone hoping to cut down on their holiday dinner costs.
A weapons complaint that led to the temporary lockdown of two Lethbridge schools Thursday turned out to be no threat, police said in a media release.
Thousands more Lethbridge residents will soon be without a family doctor.
Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said two people were arrested following a heavy police presence on Chapple Avenue on Thursday.
An annual international mining conference is underway in Greater Sudbury, Ont., marking the first time the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference of Mining Regions and Cities has been held in North America.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
