By: Nathan Chen

Elon Musk’s vision for the future of Tesla is bold: a world filled with driverless taxis, or robotaxis. He believes such cars are going to revolutionize urban transportation and drive Tesla’s worth into the trillions. He even said Tesla owners could make money by allowing their cars to run as taxis while they sleep.
Even after years of development, Tesla’s current systems require human supervision and have been involved in fatal accidents that have spurred investigations and lawsuits.

The competition is big as Waymo and Cruise already offer robotaxi services. After all, these companies pack advanced technologies and operate in mapped areas, while Tesla has a more affordable camera-based system that is supposed to see broader use.

The Tesla stock decreased from the disappointing earnings and delays on robotaxi designs. Many investors have begun to doubt if Musk’s turn to artificial intelligence has been a distraction from car sales. This said, some analysts are hopeful regarding potential profitability in the market for robotaxis.

Musk envisions an “Airbnb on wheels,” which would require wide consumer participation. It would also require rather a large amount of human labor to maintain the vehicles and provide customer service.
Though Musk’s vision is great and might remake transportation, it remains uncertain. The journey from concept and innovation into everyday reality is very complex.

Sources:
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Are Tesla’s Future. Experts Have Doubts. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)