What to expect from the ‘We, Robot’ event
The Tesla of a Million: How Robot Axises Will Not Be Profitable, but Roboties Will Be Embedded in a Future Mobility Mobility System
Since 2019, Musk has promised that Full Self-Driving-capable vehicles will eventually be able to make money for their owners by operating autonomously on a “Tesla Network” to chauffeur people around. He promised that there would be a million robotaxis by 2020, but that goalpost moved further down the field.
A billionaire is on stage to reveal a futuristic technology that he promises will transform the world in a vision that is celebrated, mocked and feared.
Tesla makes money selling electric vehicles — in fact, its profit margins on its cars, which are consistently in the double digits, are enviable for an automaker. But Musk has his eye on the much fatter profit margins of the software industry.
Musk has always maintained that demand for the software will be much higher when it is fully autonomous — in part because that would allow people to make money off their personal vehicles by lending them out, like a driverless Uber or Lyft.
The value of a fully electric fleet is so large that it’s hard to believe. he told investors in 2021. That will be one of the most valuable things in the history of civilization.
Still, Gianarikas notes that while there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about a Tesla robotaxi fleet, Elon Musk has a track record of eventually proving skeptics wrong.
In addition, companies like GM’s Cruise have put humans back behind the wheel after a crash, although they have already sent driverless taxis onto the streets. The systems often have someone on call to assist remotely if a car gets stuck. According to data provided to the state of California by Waymo, it drove nearly 1.2 million fully self driving miles with a total of 14 disengages or times it required manual control last year.
Even for those companies, robotaxis aren’t profitable yet. The auto market research giant J.D. Power recently surveyed people who have ridden in robotaxis and found that while passengers generally liked the experience, they don’t find the taxis practical. Until they’re cheaper and cover more ground, the pollsters concluded, “the service will remain a novelty transportation method.”
Other companies also use expensive high tech sensors, but Musk chose to build a system with cheap cameras. Other companies add human-designed rules and guardrails to their artificial intelligence systems, in order to protect their systems from unauthorized use.
Other companies say this approach is not just wrong but dangerous. The unusual step of emails to reporters was taken by Aurora to let them know what they object to. Concerns were made that the system should learn good driving behaviors and that there should be systems of checks and balances.
Anderson used to work at Tesla, where he helped launch Tesla’s Autopilot software, its first partial-automation system, the Aurora email notes. Waymo just snagged a former Tesla exec for its team, too.
The Robot Axi: How Safe is the Robot Are You? Regulators Aren’t Glad to Know They Have Hard-coded Software
There is no federal laws on self-driving in the United States, so state and city regulators have to set the boundaries.
Musk has always acknowledged that achieving full self-driving is not just a matter of technological innovation; if regulators aren’t convinced a robotaxi fleet is safe, it isn’t going anywhere.
The robotaxi is a purpose-built autonomous vehicle, lacking a steering wheel or pedals, meaning it will need approval from regulators before going into production. The design was futuristic, with doors that open upward like butterfly wings and a small cabin with only enough space for two passengers. The vehicle had no steering wheel, pedals or a plug, according to Musk.
And governmental concerns could also affect software. Regulators might not like the code they find if it is end-to-end deep learning.
“You can imagine a scenario where [regulators] just kind of have this moment, like ‘What? You don’t … have any hard-coded software rules?” he says. How do you control it?
The We, Robot Event: The Case for Self-Driving Robots in Musk’s Pre-Supercar Era / Has Musk Been Found?
The event’s name — “We, Robot” — is a nod to a classic Isaac Asimov short story collection exploring the ethical and psychological implications of building increasingly human-like robots. It’s also the title of a very vaguely related Will Smith action movie.
The black and white robot with a no features face can walk in a sort of way. Videos show it moving objects, standing on one leg and dancing.
Dan Ives, an analyst and a long-time Tesla bull, will be in attendance on Thursday night. He is less interested in gadgets than he is in whether the fully self- driving Musk vehicle works.
The last time Tesla had an Apple-style “one more thing” surprise was the reveal of the new Tesla Roadster at the Tesla Semi event in 2017. The Roadster still hasn’t entered production, but now Musk says that’ll happen next year. We could just get an update on the redesign of Model Y.
Musk has indicated to shareholders that a new and cheaper Tesla is back on the menu after early reports suggested it was being scrapped. A $25,000 Tesla could finally fulfill the demand for cheaper electric cars and compete with the cheaper Chinese EV market.
The show will be centered around therobotaxi. It will be interesting to hear Musk outlines his vision for its future as it is riding on its success.
During the event, Musk pitched the idea of autonomous cars as primarily a time-saver. “Think about the cumulative time that people spend in a car,” he said, “and the time they will get back that they can now spend on their books or watching a movie or doing work or whatever.”
Musk has a record of coming back from behind. The Model 3 production and the early success of the Cybertruck are two recent examples of Musk defying expectations.
Are Autonomous Vehicles Safer than Human-Driven Vehicles? Comments on Musk’s Comment on “Theoretical Predictions for a Low Cost, Low-Energy Future of the Sun”
Musk said that autonomous cars are expected to be 10-20 times safer than human-driven vehicles and could cost as low as $0.20 per mile, compared to the $1 per mile for city buses.