🧘 Coping skills needed: An Arizona mom and daughter thought the self-driving Waymo vehicle they were in might crash while crossing multiple lanes. They made it through, with mom panicking and her daughter cracking up in the backseat. Waymo’s response? The vehicle kept a “safe distance.” Watch the video and see what you think.
Elon’s future: Autonomous cabs, vans and robot butlers
I know you’ve seen it all over the news. Elon Musk took to the stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank to spotlight what he says is the future of transportation … and to show off his army of cowboy-hat-wearing robots. Will any of this make it to production and into our homes? Well, I’ll get to that.
First up, the Cybercab
It’s Tesla’s version of a self-driving robo-taxi (skip to 54:00), with no steering wheel and no pedals. Musk says it’s 10 times safer than human drivers thanks to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software.
In 2023, a Tesla Model Y in FDS mode hit a student stepping off a school bus. In April, a Model S using it hit and killed a 28-year-old motorcyclist.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation published in April found 542 crashes, including 14 with fatalities, occurred in Tesla vehicles with Autopilot or FSD engaged between January 2018 and August 2023.
The expected price for the Cybercab? Under $30,000. Tesla’s goal is to get these robo-taxis on the streets in California and Texas next year. In 2026, the rollout would happen all across the country. Given how long it took Waymo and Cruise to get approval for their autonomous taxis, I’m not holding my breath.
Then, there’s the Robovan
It’s an autonomous EV that fits up to 20 passengers … or all the Ikea boxes you can Tetris in. The Robovan took a lap (skip to 1:10:00) around the test course. It looks neat (and sort of like a huge toaster), but no price was mentioned.
The operating cost for the Robovan is 5 to 10 cents per mile per passenger, which is a lot cheaper than a city bus. If Elon can pull it off, this would be great, and, as he said, we can turn parking lots into parks.
The main attraction: Optimus
Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is designed to help around the house, act as a caregiver and keep you company. They’re 5 feet, 8 inches tall; they weigh 125 pounds; and they look a lot like the bots in Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot.” One came out to pick up a few objects and shuffle around the stage to demonstrate its range of movement.
Another Optimus model danced around in a cowboy hat (skip to 1:30:00) and passed out cocktails. Giddyap. Here’s a bunch of Optimus bots dancing (skip to 1:16:00) to “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” because … why not?
100,000-plus paid rides
Per week, taken by auto taxi service Waymo One in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. It’s no surprise Uber and Lyft drivers say it’s hurting their earnings (paywall link). Waymo is also expanding to Atlanta and Austin early next year. I still won’t get in one.