Tesla recently initiated preorders for its Cybercab, its first attempt at an autonomous taxi available to the masses, and it’s already causing some online controversy.
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The self-driving two-seater with just over 20 cubic-feet of storage space will reportedly retail for just $29,990, fulfilling a promise Elon Musk made all the way back in 2024, at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event, that production of the Cybercab would begin “before 2027” and that the car would cost under $30,000.
But not everyone agrees that Musk has made good on his promise.
Famous YouTuber and tech/car reviewer extraordinaire Marquees Brownlee was at that original event and expressed extreme skepticism about Musk’s claimed timeline, going so far as to promise to shave his head if Musk met his delivery and cost stipulations. Now, he and Musk are publicly feuding over whether or not Musk won the bet.
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In response to Musk calling Brownlee a “chicken” for not shaving his head, Brownlee put his own money on the line and pre-ordered the Cybercab.
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For the purposes of their feud, the argument is simple: does an “invite only” early sale constitute public availability, and can Tesla really meet the projected December delivery date for first customers, or will delays push deliveries into 2027, invalidating the terms of Musk’s promise?
But there’s another dimension to the public outcry that needs to be considered: the cost of ownership and the artificial restraints on the Cybercab currently in place. According to the terms of Tesla’s purchase agreement, the Cybercab will only be available for personal use for the time being, meaning you can’t use it as a robotaxi to help make money for you when you aren’t using it, and the monthly operating fee, which enables autonomous driving, will cost a punishing $299, which is equivalent to financing a second car.
Worse still are the geofencing hurdles: Cybercab is currently “operable only within Tesla-enabled Robotaxi geofences,” which at the moment are confined to a select few cities in Texas and Florida.
But credit to Musk: he fully acknowledges how onerous these restraints are, and has promised that the Cybercab features “will be available nationwide, as we receive regulatory approval.”
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In the grand scheme of things, whether Musk or Brownlee wins this bet is irrelevant: The future of the car is autonomous driving, and it’s coming a lot sooner than we all expected.