Bloomberg Reports Delay for Tesla's Upcoming Robotaxi Event Scheduled for August
According to a Bloomberg report, Tesla is set to delay its highly anticipated 8/8 Robotaxi event by two months, pushing it to October 2024.
Although no other sources have confirmed this news, Bloomberg has a reliable history of accurate financial reporting. We will update this article if Elon Musk or another senior Tesla official confirms the delay on X.
Tesla's stock fell by nearly 8.5% today, ending a two-week streak of consecutive gains. It closed yesterday at $241, down from an earlier high of $270 before the news emerged.
Why the Delay?
The two-month delay has been communicated internally but hasn't been publicly announced yet. According to Bloomberg, the design team was instructed to revise certain elements of the Cybercab, causing the delay.
If Bloomberg's report is accurate, it seems that Tesla’s unveiling event will primarily focus on showcasing the vehicle rather than demonstrating its functionality. While it's possible that both aspects will be covered, historically, Tesla has displayed the vehicle years before it enters production.
Rimac recently revealed their robotaxi vehicle named Verne, which closely resembles Tesla’s robotaxi design. Many design features in Rimac's version are elements we've seen or expect to see in Tesla’s autonomous taxi.
A recent Tesla patent disclosed that the company is integrating a sanitation system into their robotaxi, responsible for analyzing and cleaning the interior. However, the delay is more likely related to a physical feature rather than software.
Another aspect that's still unclear is how Tesla intends to charge these robotic taxis. Will they use the existing charge port and adopt a solution like the robotic charging arm (as seen in the video below) introduced nearly eight years ago, or will we finally see the implementation of wireless charging or a docking system?
Although the delay for Tesla's event seems to be due to the vehicle's design rather than further development of FSD, Tesla is making swift progress in integrating FSD for the new vehicle. Model 3 cars have already been seen with camera placements resembling those of a robotaxi.
Is the Delay Accurate?
It's possible that this delay is indeed happening – typically, Elon Musk responds swiftly within hours of such news if it's untrue, but he hasn't addressed this yet.
Tesla has postponed events before, so a delay of a few months seems believable. We'll likely hear directly from Musk soon to confirm if this report is correct.
