Mastodawn

Tesla's sporty, two-seater robotaxi design puzzles experts

https://lemmy.ca/post/30820393

Tesla's sporty, two-seater robotaxi design puzzles experts - Lemmy.ca

Tesla’s reveal of a robotaxi designed as a low-slung, two-seater, sporty coupe - quite the opposite of a typical taxi with room for several passengers and luggage - flummoxed investors and analysts. But in true Musk style, he skipped over expectations of how a two-seater robotaxi would serve the needs of families headed to a restaurant or to the airport, or if he expected these to appeal only to a niche clientele. Investors jeered the design and the lack of financial detail, with Tesla stocks tumbling 9% on Wall Street on Friday. “When you think of a cab, you think of something that’s going to carry more than two people,” said Jonathan Elfalan, vehicle testing director for the automotive website Edmunds.com [http://Edmunds.com]. “Making this a two-seat-only car is very perplexing.”

Bassman1805 Oct 12, 2024

On a related note…

Full Self Driving coming next year? Or the year after that? Or after that?

Flying Squid Oct 13, 2024

We’ll have FSD as soon as we get those flying cars with AGI I’ve been told are a few years away my entire life.

Space colonies too.

synae[he/him]Oct 13, 2024

There are self driving waymo taxis in San Francisco, it is only a fiction for Musk

Flying Squid Oct 13, 2024

Along with what @Bassman1805 says, San Francisco has a small footprint and most of it is laid out in grids, making navigation easier.

Plus, it’s not a problem-free implementation by any means.

the-independent.com/…/san-francisco-autonomous-ve…

www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/…/3622181/

On top of that, it’s way too easy to make them stop working. Not too easy for passengers, too easy for everyone else.

npr.org/…/driverless-cars-san-francisco-waymo-cru…

A vote to empower autonomous ‘robotaxis’ from Cruise and Waymo has divided San Francisco

As the issue exposes deep divides on safety, ethics, environmentalism, and the footprint of Big Tech in the city, Josh Marcus takes a ride in a driverless vehicle

The Independent

synae[he/him]Oct 13, 2024

Unlike the other things you mentioned, full self driving taxis do exist, they are being rolled out in actual markets with customers, and despite the problems you mentioned they are safer than human drivers and overall have improved my life as a pedestrian (sorry, anecdote). It may not be the perfect generalized scifi version you have in your head that makes you compare it with flying cars or AGI, but it is here.

And, what - Musk’s version won’t have to overcome those problems?

He’s years behind the competition in his own timeline, and as all the other commenters have pointed out he never even delivers according to that timeline.

Meanwhile he’s announced a version of something that that already exists and is telling his customers and shareholders that in his best case scenario, he will be 3 years late to market - and it is a fast moving market, he falls further behind with every month that passes.

Flying Squid Oct 13, 2024

Is the “safer the human drivers” part also an anecdote? I’d like to see the evidence. As far as I know, that’s not actually public information. I’d like to know if it includes things like impeding emergency vehicles, or the situation in one of the articles above where the taxi kept going toward the fire hoses while the fire department was trying to put out a fire.

synae[he/him]Oct 13, 2024

It’s part anecdote, in that I personally feel safer when I see a waymo coming than a human driver; but they also are required to report to government organizations as part of their operating agreement with the county/state. From my understanding, waymo’s collisions-per-mile are a fraction of human drivers. Here’s some random article I found if it helps forbes.com/…/waymos-new-safety-data-is-impressive…. But I’m really just reporting my experience here from the ground.

As a counterexample, Cruise was recently suspended by SF and fined by NHTSA for trying to avoid reporting their traffic incidents.

As for the rest, you’ve got a handful of isolated incidents you’re just-asking-questions about when there are incidents every single day of human drivers doing worse, with provable loss of life.

If you don’t think the tech is up to snuff, take it up with NHTSA who clearly disagrees.

But all of this is a tangent - none of this negates the fact that self driving exists and I can hop in one just as quick as I can get an uber.

We’ll have to keep waiting for the space colonies I guess.

Waymo’s New Safety Data Is Impressive And Teaches A Lesson

The lastest Waymo safety data throws down a gauntlet in front of other companies to publish similar data, and helps regulators measure risk.

Forbes

Buffalox Oct 12, 2024

It may only have 2 seats, but didn’t they notice the tires are painted gold. That’s an awesome design decision right there! /s
The 2 seats are probably meant to keep the death toll low. 😋

But if they thought the robotaxi was weird, that was nothing compared to the robovan. Almost no clearance and almost no windows, and then Musk exclaimed: Yes! We are gonna build it like that! It’s siiick.

neither robo- taxi or van are likely to be moneymakers. They’ll be a sinkhole of development cost, that will never come to market.

But more are probably finally catching on, with an event causing the stock to drop 9%.
It’s kind of hilarious that Enron Musks attempt to pump the stock failed so bad. 😋

9point6 Oct 12, 2024

Clown man

actually Oct 12, 2024

In all fairness the critics simply have to get high on drugs to see the car as it was meant to be viewed.

It seems selfish they are not

Flying Squid Oct 13, 2024

How often do you think Elon drives while blasted out of his mind on ketamine? Because I bet it’s a nonzero number.

HubertManne Oct 13, 2024

Seems like the minivan is really the right thing. Can share with multiple folks or have a significant amount of luggage for the airport or such. Easier to serve the handicapped.

atzanteol Oct 13, 2024

He’s been at the point for some time where he believes being “contrarian” is the same as being “smart”.

some_guy Oct 13, 2024

Investors jeered the design and the lack of financial detail, with Tesla stocks tumbling 9% on Wall Street on Friday.

I didn’t realize this stupid vehicle was a two-seater. What a dumbass move.

frezik Oct 13, 2024

Interesting how this dumb thing has overshadowed SpaceX performing a chopstick landing for Starship. That’s a major achievement that suggests SpaceX will meet its goals for Starship. If Elon had a lick of sense, he’d want that to be the top headline on all the feeds.

Instead, it’s about this stupid taxi. If anyone thought Elon was still good at self promotion, this should kill it.

Oh, and he spent his after launch speech hawking a cryptocurrency scheme. So that’s great. Anybody still want to go to Mars with this guy?

LordOfTheChia Oct 14, 2024

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Robotaxi isn’t ready and instead we just got a look at the Tesla Model 2.

It would make more sense as others mentioned for a robotaxi to have more room for seating and cargo. Even face to face seating.

Full height cargo space like a SUV or crossover (station wagon) body would maximize cargo space for quick cargo loading and unloading.