Tesla plans to unveil its electric robotaxi in early August

American electric vehicle maker Tesla plans to present its “robotaxi,” an unmanned vehicle, on August 8, its CEO Elon Musk said on his social network X on Friday evening.

The billionaire posted a very laconic message on the old Twitter network: “Tesla robotaxi presentation 08.08. »

“It will be superhuman”

At the same time, Tesla shares jumped 6% in electronic trading after the close of the New York Stock Exchange.

Elon Musk has also suggested that owners of Tesla’s so-called “FSD” (fully self-driving and 100% self-driving) cars will use them as robotaxis when they’re not using them, rather than leaving them in the garage until needed.

“Most people still have no idea how incredibly good Tesla’s FSD is,” he wrote on X in March. “It will be superhuman to the point that it will seem strange in the future.” [de concevoir] that people drive cars even when they are tired and drunk,” he added.

Caring for car safety

But the development of robotaxis has faced some pitfalls, particularly related to regulatory and public concerns about safety.

On Tuesday, April 2, the manufacturer announced disappointing first-quarter sales in a less stellar 2023 U.S. electric vehicle market than expected, while competition from traditional manufacturers increases.

Tesla is also struggling in China, where there is strong competition from local manufacturers and, most notably, from BYD, which took the title of the world’s largest electric vehicle seller in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Dynamic market and reduced CO2 emissions

Elon Musk also half-heartedly denied on Friday press reports that Tesla had abandoned its long-running project to produce a low-cost electric car costing about $25,000 to spread adoption of the engine to a wider audience.

In California, where sales of electric vehicles have been particularly strong, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in some areas, according to a study released Thursday. Thanks to a network of sensors installed since 2012 around the San Francisco Bay (where electric vehicles are now legion), scientists at the prestigious University of California, Berkeley have observed a steady decline in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions each year.