Tesla boss Elon Musk is set to unveil the company's long-awaited robotaxi prototype, the Cybercab, at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California on Thursday.
Self-driving cars have long fascinated Mr Musk and he has made a series of bold predictions about them – including that they will save lives or make money for their owners, renting them out for rides or even passing by. at night.
But when he takes the stage for the event – which the company has dubbed We, Robot – he will be under pressure to allay lingering doubts about the electric vehicle maker's ability to realize its ambitions.
The project faced delays, with its release initially scheduled for August before being moved to October.
Mr. Musk explained the latest delay by saying it was due to last-minute changes on his part.
“I requested what I think is a significant design change to the faceplate, and the extra time allows us to show a few other things,” Musk wrote in a July post on his X social media platform.
But analysts say now is the time for the company to show real progress on the project.
“There's definitely a lot of buildup after discussing the Robotaxi concept for so long without concrete details,” said Jessica Caldwell of edmunds.com.
“This event is expected to clarify the concept,” Caldwell added, saying it would be a “disappointment” if Tesla did not reveal a developed concept and operational details on Thursday.
So far, relatively little is known about the Cybercab.
Reportedly, it will have two seats and butterfly wings. It is thought to use a combination of cameras and computing power to navigate roads, as opposed to laser sensors, known as Lidar, favored by rivals.
Musk hinted that once completed, some of the robo-taxis on Tesla's network would be owned and operated by the company, but that Tesla owners would have the option to rent their vehicles on Tesla's network when they are not. don't drive them.
In a note Wednesday morning, Wedbush analysts said they expected on-site demonstrations of the prototype, which they said they would attend.
But industry observers will also be looking for projections “on Cybercab's scaling, overall cost per mile” and a Tesla ride-hailing app, Wedbush said.
“With very few industry events as widely anticipated as this one, we believe Elon Musk will address short-term issues,” Wedbush analysts wrote.
The “We, Robot” event comes as some top executives, including the head of Tesla's new vehicle program, recently left the company.
Some also said the company would be better off focusing on a low-cost electric vehicle (EV), to strengthen its position in the face of growing competition from other electric car makers.
However, Tesla has long sought to launch a fully autonomous competitor to Waymo, Google parent company Alphabet, whose driverless vehicles are now common and much-discussed on the streets of San Francisco.
The company also offers rides in Phoenix and Los Angeles, and just expanded its limited service to Austin, Texas.
Last week, Waymo announced that it would add the Hyundai Ioniq 5 to its robotaxis fleet after the vehicles underwent road testing with the company's technology.
Despite Mr. Musk's obvious enthusiasm for technology – and the high stakes for Tesla – it appears he is opting for a more low-key approach to media coverage than some of his previous spectacular product rollouts.
Despite multiple inquiries, the BBC was unable to obtain an invitation to the inauguration.
We were not alone. A Bloomberg TV anchor posted publicly on X that he wanted to cover the event in person – even tagging Musk directly – also without success.
