Autonomes Fahren: Tesla lässt ausgewählte Käufer Robotaxis vorbestellen

Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer led by Elon Musk, is offering select customers in the USA the chance to pre-order a private-use robotaxi called the Cybercab. The estimated price for this vehicle is $29,990, or around €27,000. In addition to the purchase price, customers will need to pay a $299 monthly subscription fee for autonomous operation.

The delivery is expected in December, though the exact number of cars to be sold privately remains unclear. This move fulfills a previous promise made by Musk, who had previously stated that most Cybercabs would be used in Tesla's in-house Robotaxi fleet.

However, there are restrictions for these few buyers. Autonomous driving will only be available in areas where Tesla's Robotaxi service operates, as confirmed by Ashok Elluswamy, a Tesla manager on the platform X. These areas currently include Austin, Texas, and parts of other cities in Texas and Florida. Tesla explicitly emphasizes that private use is permitted, and autonomous driving is to be achieved solely through cameras, unlike competitors like Waymo, which use cameras in addition to laser radars for better safety in poor visibility conditions.

Some experts and rivals criticize Tesla's decision to rely solely on cameras for autonomous driving, arguing that it may not be reliable enough. Meanwhile, Waymo has announced plans to incorporate its own autonomous driving technology into private cars over time. Tesla also faced issues with the US transportation authority NHTSA over the Cybercab.

While Tesla can legally produce vehicles with certain physical controls like a brake pedal, they chose not to apply for an exception to produce up to 2,500 such vehicles without the pedal. After receiving NHTSA's request for clarification, Musk announced that Cybertruck production would be halted mid-year to free up capacity for Cybercabs.

Initially priced around $40,000, the Cybertruck's price for the most basic version is now $82,490, and Tesla had initially expected to produce up to 250,000 units per year, selling around 20,000 last year.