Elon Musk has issued a warning to drivers that the rollout of Tesla's Cybercabs could be "agonisingly slow", despite hinting that self-driving capabilities could be seen in Europe this year.
The world's richest man has been headstrong in his backing of fully autonomous vehicles at an affordable price point, with the Cybercab making its debut at a glitzy Tesla event in Hollywood in 2024.
Elon Musk confirmed that the Cybercab would go into production in 2026, with a starting price of less than $30,000 (£22,240).
The Tesla CEO praised the development of the Cybercab, which he had promised for many years. He was driven into the Warner Bros studio by one of the autonomous vehicles, which did not have a steering wheel or pedals.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
However, the billionaire has now warned that production of the highly anticipated self-driving vehicle would be "agonisingly slow" on social media site X.
He noted that the Cybercab, as well as the production of the Optimus humanoid robot, requires "almost everything" to be newly installed, although the manufacturing process would eventually be "insanely fast".
Mr Musk originally announced the Tesla robotaxi project in April 2019, with lofty promises that drivers would see an impressive return on investment.
Speaking during the Tesla Autonomy Day in 2019, he claimed the net present value of a single robotaxi would be around $200,000 (£148,287).
Elon Musk warned that production of the Cybercab would be 'agonisingly slow'
|REUTERS/TESLA
He added that there would be one million robotaxis on the road within a matter of years as Mr Musk attempts to reframe Tesla as an AI and autonomy company, rather than a vehicle manufacturer.
Self-driving Tesla Model Y units have been deployed across Austin, Texas, acting as robotaxis, with around 34 models believed to be active.
Speaking at his first appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, Mr Musk said Tesla was set for a major victory in Europe this year.
He noted that Europe and China could soon give the green light for Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology as early as next month.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The Tesla Cybercab is expected to cost less than $30,000
| REUTERSSpeaking with Laurence Fink, Chair and CEO of BlackRock, he suggested that the Optimus humanoid robot could be on sale to the public by the end of the year.
Tesla has faced a longer wait for the FSD technology to be approved in Europe, given that there are stricter vehicle safety rules than in the United States.
RDW, the vehicle authority in the Netherlands, could decide to give regulatory approval to Tesla as soon as next month, which would act as a huge boost to the brand.
If it secures approval in the Netherlands, other European Union countries can recognise the exemption, allowing for FSD to be rolled out before a formal EU approval.
Speaking to GB News, Dan O'Dowd, Founder of The Dawn Project, questioned whether the FSD technology and the Cybercab project would be realised on the timeline Elon Musk has promised.
"Uber and Lyft drivers are safe from Tesla robotaxis taking their jobs because, despite a decade of Elon Musk claiming that autonomous Tesla robotaxis are less than a year away, Tesla still doesn’t have a working product.
"All of Tesla's so-called robotaxis require a human supervisor ready to stop it from crashing at a moment's notice."