At Thursday night’s “We, Robot” event, the Robotaxi was the main attraction. The Tesla Robovan was also shown off. The Robovan is a self-driving autonomous car that can fit up to 20 people and can be used for both personal and business purposes. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, said the company would make the Robovan and that it would look like the concept, but no pricing or production timeline was provided. Even though Elon Musk’s Tesla Robotaxi stole the show at its grand debut on Thursday night, the company’s Robovan concept set the standard for its image of an autonomous future. Which is it? Robobus or Robovan? In front of selected guests, Musk said, “We’re going to make this, and it’s going to look like that.” The huge Robovan, which looks like a toaster, is called a “van,” but it looks more like a bus or train car. Its Art Deco style makes it look like an old train, but computers will drive it. Both the Robotaxi and the Robovan don’t have pedals or a driving wheel. The whole place looks like the waiting room at the dentist’s office but with better lighting. According to Tesla’s leaked photos, there is a Robovan ready to carry people. At each end of the cabin, there are big screens placed on the walls, and there are several rows of seats that face each other. Along each side of the roof, there are two glass panel vanes. On one side of the Robovan, there is a glass folding door. The Tesla Robovan is new to us, but we only know a few things from what we can see and Musk’s vague words. Tesla’s CEO said that it can be adjusted for both personal and business use, but the price has yet to be made public. Since the smaller Robotaxi will be made sometime in 2026, it’s important to note that there is no set date for when the Robovan will be made. It should happen in 2027. Musk agrees with this, and he is known for being positive about new products. At the event on Thursday night, he even said this: “I tend to be a little optimistic with time frames.” The Robotaxi, Robovan, and other fully autonomous vehicle plans by the company will depend on how well Tesla can get governmental approval for a version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software that doesn’t need to be supervised.
