Elon Musk reveals date for the launch of the Tesla robotaxi

On Friday, April 5, Elon Musk announced the unveiling of the Tesla Robotaxi on the online platform X with the slogan "Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8". Accordingly, the presentation of the autonomous vehicle is planned for August 8th. No further details were initially announced. For years, the billionaire has been promising that Tesla will drive autonomously, and the potential of self-driving cars has been repeatedly emphasized by the Tesla CEO.

"Full self-driving" currently still requires monitoring
So far, the "autopilot technology" only functions as a driving assistance system. In the USA, Tesla drivers can already test a version of "Autopilot" called "Full Self-Driving", but this still requires monitoring by the driver.

Laser radars or cameras in the Robotaxis?
In contrast to competing models, such as those from Google's sister company Waymo, Musk wanted to do without laser radars in the past and use cameras exclusively instead. This approach is controversial among experts. It remains unclear whether the robotaxis will continue to be operated with this technology.

Reuters: Inexpensive e-car for the mass market canceled
The announcement follows media reports that Tesla has abandoned plans to develop a low-cost electric car for the mass market. The model was originally set to cost around €23,000, as reported by the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. The news agency Reuters had previously reported that Tesla had abandoned or at least postponed its plans for an affordable electric car. Musk has vigorously denied this report.

Tesla shares closed in the red on Friday (April 5). As a result of the news, the share price rose again by over 3%.

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