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Tesla's reveal of a robotaxi designed as a low-slung, two-seater, sporty coupe - quite the opposite of a typical taxi with room for several passengers and luggage - flummoxed investors and analysts.

But in true Musk style, he skipped over expectations of how a two-seater robotaxi would serve the needs of families headed to a restaurant or to the airport, or if he expected these to appeal only to a niche clientele.

Investors jeered the design and the lack of financial detail, with Tesla stocks tumbling 9% on Wall Street on Friday.

"When you think of a cab, you think of something that's going to carry more than two people," said Jonathan Elfalan, vehicle testing director for the automotive website Edmunds.com. "Making this a two-seat-only car is very perplexing."

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[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It looks like they were working on the new roadster and Elmo told them they were switching to a driverless cab.

If it were a sports car it would probably sell really well because it’s got the doors that open like this

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Im gonna start calling him Elmo from now on haha.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 1 month ago (6 children)

On a related note...

Full Self Driving coming next year? Or the year after that? Or after that?

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Musk and “FSD is coming next year” is like Trump and “I only want to be dictator for a day”.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

More like his healthcare plan. Or his infrastructure plan

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Details will be shared in two weeks!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

There are concepts of FSD.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

In two years presumably. It's been two years away since 2015.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

Yes. But also: No. Mostly no.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

What was his first prediction on that like 2015?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We'll have FSD as soon as we get those flying cars with AGI I've been told are a few years away my entire life.

Space colonies too.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

There are self driving waymo taxis in San Francisco, it is only a fiction for Musk

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Those also use a combination of many different sensors to see the road around them, while Tesla stubbornly refuses to use anything except vision because that's how humans do it. Nevermind that even with our best AI models, we've never even approximated how the human brain works.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, good reasons why his version will never come to market - which he is already late to. His lunch has been eaten, so to speak.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Along with what @Bassman1805 says, San Francisco has a small footprint and most of it is laid out in grids, making navigation easier.

Plus, it's not a problem-free implementation by any means.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/san-francisco-autonomous-vehicles-robotaxis-b2391158.html

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco/san-francisco-neighbors-say-repeated-waymo-honking-is-keeping-them-up-at-night/3622181/

On top of that, it's way too easy to make them stop working. Not too easy for passengers, too easy for everyone else.

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/26/1195695051/driverless-cars-san-francisco-waymo-cruise

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Unlike the other things you mentioned, full self driving taxis do exist, they are being rolled out in actual markets with customers, and despite the problems you mentioned they are safer than human drivers and overall have improved my life as a pedestrian (sorry, anecdote). It may not be the perfect generalized scifi version you have in your head that makes you compare it with flying cars or AGI, but it is here.

And, what - Musk's version won't have to overcome those problems?

He's years behind the competition in his own timeline, and as all the other commenters have pointed out he never even delivers according to that timeline.

Meanwhile he's announced a version of something that that already exists and is telling his customers and shareholders that in his best case scenario, he will be 3 years late to market - and it is a fast moving market, he falls further behind with every month that passes.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The real problem that he failed to show any progress on self-driving. Self-driving has been 2 years away for the past 6 years and that's the only real thing that will pull Tesla out of a downward spiral. Tesla stock is stupidly overpriced and competitors are catching up.

With nothing but empty promises, people are starting to realize that the emperor has no clothes. And really, who wants to see Musk naked? ...that's a bag nobody wants to be left holding.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's been 1 year away every year, not 2

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Waymo did it well when I was in Tempe, so it already exists. Tesla just wasn't putting quality hardware into it. The Jaguars were nice

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'll take the bus, thanks. At least I will arrive alive at my destination.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

But think of the opportunity cost here, you'd be wasting a chance to run over a child or a poor person!

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

It may only have 2 seats, but didn't they notice the tires are painted gold. That's an awesome design decision right there! /s
The 2 seats are probably meant to keep the death toll low. 😋

But if they thought the robotaxi was weird, that was nothing compared to the robovan. Almost no clearance and almost no windows, and then Musk exclaimed: Yes! We are gonna build it like that! It's siiick.

neither robo- taxi or van are likely to be moneymakers. They'll be a sinkhole of development cost, that will never come to market.

But more are probably finally catching on, with an event causing the stock to drop 9%.
It's kind of hilarious that Enron Musks attempt to pump the stock failed so bad. 😋

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago

I can't wait for one of these to pull up with a puddle of vomit on the seat

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago (1 children)

In all fairness the critics simply have to get high on drugs to see the car as it was meant to be viewed.

It seems selfish they are not

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

How often do you think Elon drives while blasted out of his mind on ketamine? Because I bet it's a nonzero number.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm sure he's imagining commuter clients using it to go to work every day on a subscription.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Interesting how this dumb thing has overshadowed SpaceX performing a chopstick landing for Starship. That's a major achievement that suggests SpaceX will meet its goals for Starship. If Elon had a lick of sense, he'd want that to be the top headline on all the feeds.

Instead, it's about this stupid taxi. If anyone thought Elon was still good at self promotion, this should kill it.

Oh, and he spent his after launch speech hawking a cryptocurrency scheme. So that's great. Anybody still want to go to Mars with this guy?

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He's been at the point for some time where he believes being "contrarian" is the same as being "smart".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Absolutely. The way he talks too, he uses this flowery, overly technical language you usually only use when talking to engineers or technical people. It's purely an attempt to confuse and sound smart, as any engineer worth their salt will tailor their language to their audience.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Yes, so much so that engineers receive training on how and when to use jargon vs lay people terms. Like multiple classes go over this

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

That’s because Musk is a dunce.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

Seems like the minivan is really the right thing. Can share with multiple folks or have a significant amount of luggage for the airport or such. Easier to serve the handicapped.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

This unveiling is stupid for, like... uncountable reasons. But are people really regularly riding in cabs that fit more than two people comfortably? Unless I specifically request a bigger vehicle from a cab service, a car with a backseat is usually what I get.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I typically use a taxi/Uber on my way to an airport. I at least need room for my suitcase and laptop bag

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I usually get the option of up to 4 people unless requested. You start with the two ends of the backseat, then person 3 gets passenger seat, and person 4 makes you really hope there’s someone short and skinny in your group

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

What a fucking moron. Dude is so goddamn stupid that every decision he makes is the wrong one. And yet people keep defending him...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Didn’t his mom say Leon was developmentally challenged in a twit post?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

So darkly dark... Like mother like son

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Investors jeered the design and the lack of financial detail, with Tesla stocks tumbling 9% on Wall Street on Friday.

I didn't realize this stupid vehicle was a two-seater. What a dumbass move.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

When investors attempted to hail the cab it ignored them according to another post I saw yesterday.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Stop supporting Elon

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To me it makes sense because without the driver, there's less need to maximize passengers per vehicle. Plus the added weight for the extra, often unused seats is a bigger problem for EVs because of the need to minimize weight (which then requires more heavy batteries). Generally the vast majority of taxi trips are one or two people, so you don't wanna make them any bigger than necessary. And if there's 4 people, they can just take 2.

The problem isn't the number of seats, it's that there's no plan for them to become actually self-driving.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

EVs really don't have to minimize weight nearly as much as ICE cars. Regen is really powerful with a large battery and aerodynamics and rolling resistance is king at speed. And larger and heavier batteries are cheaper too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Well they had to save room for all the safety features that are required for them to be remotely driven from North Korea.

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