Tesla had one trick up its sleeve at the robotaxi event, also unveiling a robovan. While the robovan is bigger than a Model Y, this isn’t your typical minivan that many were hoping Tesla might reveal.
Like the robotaxi, Tesla’s robovan will be fully autonomous, and Tesla is going all out to maximize capacity. The prototype Tesla unveiled on Thursday night was reminiscent of art-deco trains from the early 1900’s, and according to Musk can carry up to 20 people.
The robovan can also transport goods, with Musk saying it will be configurable for either use.
Musk gave very few other details about the robovan, only saying that it would be ideal for high density travel, and would bring the cost of travel down to between US$0.05-$0.10 per mile. For comparison, Musk said earlier the robotaxi would be about US$0.20 per mile.
Musk did not provide any details on pricing or when production might begin, but given that the robotaxi has an optimistic timeline to enter production in 2026, it would be surprising to see the robovan debut until closer to 2030, or beyond.
You can see more images of the robovan below.
Robovan details pic.twitter.com/Pdito0dfRq
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 11, 2024
