Following last week’s announcement of Tesla’s CyberCab and RoboVan, the company’s lead designer had a few words to say about the unique self-driving car design. That includes the fact that the Roboban was “probably” designed to be small enough to fit inside the boring company tunnel.
A video recap of the “We, Robot” event shared by Kilowatt on Sunday shows host Ryan Levenson interviewing Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen while riding in a new robot van. When Levenson asked if the RoboVan would be small enough to fit into the Boring Company’s tunnels, the designer cheekily and enthusiastically replied, “Maybe,” but as to whether that was part of Tesla’s plans. I didn’t actually mention it.
“(Robovan) basically solves all of those situations where you have multiple groups, where you need to carry boxes and luggage, and all of your mass transportation needs that aren’t really solved right now,” von Holz said. Hausen said.
Levenson also asked about the differences between the two vehicles, and the lead designer said the CyberCab’s unique two-seater design was chosen because 95% of rideshares involve only one or two people. I explained.
“Robo-taxis are designed for situations where more than 6 to 8 people are needed, similar to regular vehicles, or for public transport such as school buses, city buses, wedding parties, The same is true for transport,” added von Holzhausen.
The interview was sandwiched between Levenson’s extensive coverage of Thursday’s CyberCab and Robovan launch event, and he also talked about how Waymo is already available in San Francisco.
The full interview with Franz, shared by Kilowatt, can be viewed below.
Teslati was also lucky enough to be able to attend the event. Check out photos of the RoboVan below and our first ride in a Tesla CyberCab.
Check out @Tesla’s “Robovan”
📸:@Teslarati pic.twitter.com/D4es2i9NUe
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
🎥: @Tesla Cybercab for the first time pic.twitter.com/6gR7OgKRCz
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
“One of the things we wanted to do, and you saw it with the Cybertruck, is we want to change the look of the road,” Musk said of the RoboVan’s design during the event.
After the Robovan’s announcement, Elon Musk said the inspiration for its design came from Art Deco buses, reiterating his classic goal of “making the future look like the future.”
Musk also explained that the RoboVan’s ground clearance is unusually low due to an automatic load-leveling suspension system that raises or lowers based on the smoothness of road conditions.
Live blog: Tesla 10/10 “We, Robot” robotaxis unveiling event
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