Tesla unveils the Robovan at “We, Robot” event: When will it be available for purchase?

By Tech Desk ⏐ 1 year ago ⏐

3 min read

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a surprise innovation, the Tesla Robovan at the “We, Robot” event in California. Musk came to the venue in a completely self-driving Robotaxi known as the ‘Cybercab’, but the star of the show was the Robovan prototype.

The Robovan, a full electric self-driving people mover for up to 20 passengers has a futuristic aesthetic, inspired by trains of the 1920s and 1930s.

It has sharp edges and no clear front or rear windshield and has a small slim headlight stretching across the front of the car making it look like an art deco car. The headlight even protrudes into several bands spiraling around the car and thus enriches the overall design.

Musk also said that like the recently introduced Cybertruck, the Robovan was not aimed at looking like other cars and this underscored Tesla’s penchant for unconventional design.

“Now, can you imagine going down the streets and you see this coming towards you? ,” Musk said at the event. “That’d be sick.”

“One of the things we want to do, and we’ve seen this with the Cybertruck, is we want to change the look of the roads,” he continued. “The future should look like the future.”

According to Musk, the vehicle is going to solve high density but could also be used to transport goods.

“So this can carry up to 20 people, and it can also transport goods,” he said. “The Robovan is what’s going to solve high density.”

“If you want to take a sports team somewhere or you’re looking to get the cost of travel down to, I don’t know, 5, 10 cents a mile, then you can use the Robovan.”

Before the release of the prototype, Musk discussed the Robotaxi with no steering wheels or pedals and was a two-door taxi with few frills and Cybertruck looks.

Tesla Robovan Price

Musk also stated that Tesla will also launch the new vehicle that is to cost less than $30 000 in 2026 or 2027. He said that production of the “Cybercab”, which is designed for autonomous transport, should begin in 2026, although he said his timing is often aggressive.

Musk reiterated that they expect to build the car at a very high rate. The Robovan prototype presented on Thursday is not a final product, and the company has yet to release a definite design and production date. Last year, Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck and it came with a hexagonal steering wheel as seen in this video by Dezeen.