Tesla 'Robo-Uber' Just Around the Corner According to Elon

DooKey

DooKey

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In the latest earning call for Tesla, Elon Musk has predicted that once his cars are upgraded for autonomous driving that the owners will be able to share them out for others as 'Robo-Uber' cars. This is an interesting idea, but I don't see someone letting their $100K car just drive off on its own. He has some interesting ideas sometimes, however, I think this one is just a bridge too far for the most part. Limiting it to friends and family I could see, but not strangers.

During Wednesday’s earnings call, the Tesla CEO fielded a call from Galileo Russell of the HyperChange TV YouTube channel regarding a launch date of the Tesla Network. Musk didn’t have a date, but said the program will act as a “shared electro autonomy model.” The owner of the vehicle can share the vehicle at their accord, which Musk called a “Robo-Uber.”
 
Unless he has plans to install a robot that automatically cleans bodily fluids from upholstery I doubt that idea will take off.
 
Musk is talking crap for public relations cover that he stopped answering analysts questions during the post earnings telecon , and instead chose to answer a youtuber's question ---because these questions were boring.

now that is a proper article to run.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/t...fter-truly-bizarre-conference-call-2018-05-03

"“Feisty,” “odd,” “very, very bad,” and “truly bizarre” were among the adjectives used by analysts to discuss the call, in which Musk cut off both analysts and his own executive team, pivoted to answer several questions from Gali Russell, who runs a YouTube channel mostly dedicated to Tesla, and blamed the press for what he saw to be greater coverage of autonomous-driving car crashes than human-enabled crashes."
 
This has been known as the end-game within the Tesla community for a while now.

Main reason behind the inward facing camera in the Model 3.
 
Musk has enjoyed an insanely patient shareholder group. At some point they will tire of so many empty promises and missed production deadlines, then they will reign him in.

I think he's accomplished amazing technological feats, but he will need to deliver on other fronts as well.
 
Robo-ubers. lol. All they'll be is mobile homes for the homeless to sleep in... ... at best, you all know what the worst is, 2nd post figured it out. Who's going to come and evict them?
 
Am I the only one who just wants an electric car with good range and a manageable charge time?

I couldn't care less about all this self driving nonsense.

I want a car that is EXACTLY like a modern gasoline powered car, with a driver-centric cockpit, ergonomics optimized for driving, with the only difference that it is electrically powered.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Am I the only one who just wants an electric car with good range and a manageable charge time?

I couldn't care less about all this self driving nonsense.

I want a car that is EXACTLY like a modern gasoline powered car, with a driver-centric cockpit, ergonomics optimized for driving, with the only difference that it is electrically powered.
Click to expand...

That'd be the Model 3 - https://www.tesla.com/model3

And the auto-pilot is wonderful. I drove to the airport the other day and I may have driven for 2 minutes out of the almost 2 hours there and back
 
A little soon after a certain "robo-Uber" incident killed someone don't you think Elon?
 
With how Airbnb and Uber became successful, I think this might work. People said the same thing about them.
 
A year from Tesla Uber launch, a fleet of driverless Teslas cross the Mexican border and park themselves into an awaiting shipping container bound for the Middle East.
 
travisty said:
That'd be the Model 3 - https://www.tesla.com/model3

And the auto-pilot is wonderful. I drove to the airport the other day and I may have driven for 2 minutes out of the almost 2 hours there and back
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No, that would not be the Model 3.

I canceled my model 3 reservation for this very reason. That shitty minimalist interior with the single center screen instead of a proper instrument cluster was the biggest reason why I canceled it. Musk justified the terrible cockpit by saying that software updates for autopilot were coming and that pretty soon the driver wouldn't need a proper cockpit. Well, I don't care for that. If I had Autopilot it would be off 100% of the time.

I want all sorts of instruments and information in a perfect driver-centric ergonomic setup, in a way that the car fits like a glove, and almost becomes an extension of my person, like a fighter jet cockpit. The model 3 is not this. It's a fucking shuttle bus with an iPad in the center.
 
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A lot of people missing the point here. In the VERY near future, you won't have to own your own car to have the freedom that owning a car now gives you. You will be able to summon an automated car and have it drive you to work, to the store, to the movies, to dinner...and when you are done, someone else will be able to summon and use that same car. You will pay via app, much like Uber, but not have to deal with a (sometimes shady) human driver. This will have a HUGE impact on our culture when we get literally MILLIONS of cars off of our roads (and parking lots).
 
jnemesh said:
A lot of people missing the point here. In the VERY near future, you won't have to own your own car to have the freedom that owning a car now gives you. You will be able to summon an automated car and have it drive you to work, to the store, to the movies, to dinner...and when you are done, someone else will be able to summon and use that same car. You will pay via app, much like Uber, but not have to deal with a (sometimes shady) human driver. This will have a HUGE impact on our culture when we get literally MILLIONS of cars off of our roads (and parking lots).
Click to expand...

And all these cars will be connected to a government shutdown switch. So much for going somewhere when the government doesn't want you to.

Have fun sitting is other peoples mess. These cars will end up worse inside than a city bus, unless the have a camera monitoring the riders.

Also have fun carrying all your purchases with you when you shop at multiple stores.
I sometimes stop at more than one store on the way home from work. Now, I'll have to carry my briefcase, and each store's purchases with me until I call the final car to take me home.
No thanks.
 
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Woo, it will be much safer when the telsa slams into a concrete barrier by itself, instead of while carrying an inattentive driver.
 
jnemesh said:
A lot of people missing the point here. In the VERY near future, you won't have to own your own car to have the freedom that owning a car now gives you. You will be able to summon an automated car and have it drive you to work, to the store, to the movies, to dinner...and when you are done, someone else will be able to summon and use that same car. You will pay via app, much like Uber, but not have to deal with a (sometimes shady) human driver. This will have a HUGE impact on our culture when we get literally MILLIONS of cars off of our roads (and parking lots).
Click to expand...
So...

Instead of being able to take my crap to work, leave it in the car, go shopping after work, and then go home. I would then have to call a car to go to work, call a car to go shopping afterward, then carry my crap while shopping and then call and wait for another car with all of my crap plus whatever I bought? What if I want to go to two different stores? Yay, more crap to carry around.

This also means I can't just leave handy normal things in the car. Out somewhere and allergies are acting up? Nope, can't just run to the car and grab something from the glovebox/center console/trunk.

Then on top of all of that, I'd still have to sit in someone else's filth? Public transportation is fucking disgusting, I'm not a germaphobe but I'd rather be assured that I'm not going to sit down in a random vehicle for a two hour drive only to find the faint smell of piss fills the car once the seat warms up due to body heat, or worse seeps through because it was trapped in the foam, because some hobo or drunk bar fly at last call couldn't control themselves.

I mean sure I guess that'd be great for people who live in an area where everything is in a 5 block radius that they'd normally need and rely on public transit already anyway... but I ain't looking forward to what you are.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Irrelevant, a driverless UBER vehicle hit a person who ended up dead. And here Musk is saying a driverless UBER vehicle. Just saying maybe he should have chosen his words a bit differently
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So if a person driving a Ford hits and kills someone, then Ford shouldn't sell any more cars?

People are setting an impossible standard for self driving cars. I.E. no accidents ever.
The reality is that there will always be accidents.

The standard for self driving cars should be some percentage less accidents that people driven cars.
I'd rather have some drunk in a self driving Uber than having them kill some innocent people by trying to drive themselves home.
 
theBrownLlama said:
Musk is talking crap for public relations cover that he stopped answering analysts questions during the post earnings telecon , and instead chose to answer a youtuber's question ---because these questions were boring.
Click to expand...

Nah, I just think it's more of a matter of he's sick of everyone questioning every little thing he does. It's like some conspiracy to discredit the man because he's one of the few making REAL change for the human race. Electric vehicles, cheaper more frequent space travel, underground expressways...he's creating the future that we pictured we'd (should) be at 60 years ago.

Elon isn't killing people. He's not making drugs and pharmaceuticals that are creating more issues. He's creating useful technology that will propel the species forward. Let him do it. If he goes broke in the process he goes broke...that's about the worst that can happen.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
No, that would not be the Model 3.

I canceled my model 3 reservation for this very purpose. That shitty minimalist interior with the single center screen instead of a proper instrument cluster was the biggest reason why I canceled it. Musk justified the terrible cockpit by saying that software updates for autopilot were coming and that pretty soon the driver wouldn't need a proper cockpit. Well, I don't care for that. If I had Autopilot it would be off 100% of the time.

I want all sorts of instruments and information in a perfect driver-centric ergonomic setup, in a way that the car fits like a glove, and almost becomes an extension of my person, like a fighter jet cockpit. The model 3 is not this. It's a fucking shuttle bus with an iPad in the center.
Click to expand...

Wow someone who likes a ton of ugly-ass buttons? So be it. I'll talk to my car. No need to use any controls.

I'm also free from the dealership model and get updates frequently that keep making the car better drive wise and interface wise. I'm surprised anyone still spends money on vehicles based off the old paradigm

bbqrooster said:
Is your comment meant for sarcasm? I canceled my Model 3 reservation precisely because it's not a driver-centric car.
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What's not driver centric about it? And quite honestly I don't drive it much. I let it drive me :)
 
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nutzo said:
So if a person driving a Ford hits and kills someone, then Ford shouldn't sell any more cars?

People are setting an impossible standard for self driving cars. I.E. no accidents ever.
The reality is that there will always be accidents.
Click to expand...

They know. You're seeing all the fud on Musk/ Tesla/AI cars precisely because certain major industry players are way behind.

In other news an airplane engine blew up and some lady got sucked out the goddamn window at cruising altitude. The official government and industry response is basically 'well, golly, I guess we should take a look at the engines more often.' Are we all going to stop flying now?
 
It's all about liability. Who can you point the finger at when things go wrong.

The tech to self-drive isn't an issue. But when shit happens, because it always does, who is willing to take the liability on it? That's what is holding back self-driving tech right now, the legal questions, not the technical ones.
 
One of the jobs of the Ringmaster is to make sure you look at the next act while some one runs out and shovels away the elephant dung from the last act.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
No, that would not be the Model 3.

I canceled my model 3 reservation for this very purpose. That shitty minimalist interior with the single center screen instead of a proper instrument cluster was the biggest reason why I canceled it. Musk justified the terrible cockpit by saying that software updates for autopilot were coming and that pretty soon the driver wouldn't need a proper cockpit. Well, I don't care for that. If I had Autopilot it would be off 100% of the time.

I want all sorts of instruments and information in a perfect driver-centric ergonomic setup, in a way that the car fits like a glove, and almost becomes an extension of my person, like a fighter jet cockpit. The model 3 is not this. It's a fucking shuttle bus with an iPad in the center.
Click to expand...

Get an S ;)
 
MV75 said:
Robo-ubers. lol. All they'll be is mobile homes for the homeless to sleep in... ... at best, you all know what the worst is, 2nd post figured it out. Who's going to come and evict them?
Click to expand...

Do you honestly believe this would be a "open to anyone" kind of program? This will be a credit-and-background check sort of program where rich people can guarantee only their 1st and 2nd degree connections will end up in their car.

The only way I see this being different is if Tesla has a lease program that prioritizes the lease holder over other riders. They will, of course, take a percentage.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
No, that would not be the Model 3.

I canceled my model 3 reservation for this very purpose. That shitty minimalist interior with the single center screen instead of a proper instrument cluster was the biggest reason why I canceled it. Musk justified the terrible cockpit by saying that software updates for autopilot were coming and that pretty soon the driver wouldn't need a proper cockpit. Well, I don't care for that. If I had Autopilot it would be off 100% of the time.

I want all sorts of instruments and information in a perfect driver-centric ergonomic setup, in a way that the car fits like a glove, and almost becomes an extension of my person, like a fighter jet cockpit. The model 3 is not this. It's a fucking shuttle bus with an iPad in the center.
Click to expand...

I take it you don't use cruise control either? That's dumb.
 
Lizard Testes said:
I take it you don't use cruise control either? That's dumb.
Click to expand...

Why? I dont use cruise control and I get better gas mileage than it does. Cruise does nothing for me. I am also much better at maintaining a consistent velocity across uneven terrain than it is.
 
jnemesh said:
A lot of people missing the point here. In the VERY near future, you won't have to own your own car to have the freedom that owning a car now gives you. You will be able to summon an automated car and have it drive you to work, to the store, to the movies, to dinner...and when you are done, someone else will be able to summon and use that same car. You will pay via app, much like Uber, but not have to deal with a (sometimes shady) human driver. This will have a HUGE impact on our culture when we get literally MILLIONS of cars off of our roads (and parking lots).
Click to expand...

Good. More room on the road for my truck.
 
ruffbytes said:
Good. More room on the road for my truck.
Click to expand...

Yup, less traffic for everyone. But "your truck" is going to get a LOT more expensive to own and operate. As self-driving cars proliferate, you can bet that licensing and registration for manually operated vehicles will be increased greatly, to incentives people like yourself to move to the safer, more reliable vehicles. Human drivers will be regarded as unwelcome, as they are far more accident prone than the self driving cars will be.
 
nutzo said:
And all these cars will be connected to a government shutdown switch. So much for going somewhere when the government doesn't want you to.

Have fun sitting is other peoples mess. These cars will end up worse inside than a city bus, unless the have a camera monitoring the riders.

Also have fun carrying all your purchases with you when you shop at multiple stores.
I sometimes stop at more than one store on the way home from work. Now, I'll have to carry my briefcase, and each store's purchases with me until I call the final car to take me home.
No thanks.
Click to expand...

Newsflash, bub. If you have OnStar on your vehicle, its ALREADY connected to the government shut off switch. And you will adapt to the changes just like everyone else. You MIGHT decide to own your own vehicle in 20 years. But I am guessing most will not. It will be significantly more expensive to do so. Taxes on personally owned vehicles will begin to skyrocket, as governments will want to limit cars that are on the road. Or you might see what you see now in New York, Seattle, Chicago, etc...where you pay $250-$1000/mo (or more!) for a parking space. The luxury of everyone owning a car was fine when there were only 100 million Americans. As room gets more limited and populations increase, we will need to change our society to a different paradigm.
 
jnemesh said:
Yup, less traffic for everyone. But "your truck" is going to get a LOT more expensive to own and operate. As self-driving cars proliferate, you can bet that licensing and registration for manually operated vehicles will be increased greatly, to incentives people like yourself to move to the safer, more reliable vehicles. Human drivers will be regarded as unwelcome, as they are far more accident prone than the self driving cars will be.
Click to expand...

Come talk to me when you have a self driving car that can move my truck from the where I loaded it to over by the tree next to the pond. Or one that can hook up the boat and take it down and launch it with no manual input. Or one that can navigate a back trail thats not on any maps (because it isnt a road) on my way to the lake. Or one that is smart enough to park on the beach in a spot that it wont get stuck in...

jnemesh said:
Newsflash, bub. If you have OnStar on your vehicle, its ALREADY connected to the government shut off switch. And you will adapt to the changes just like everyone else. You MIGHT decide to own your own vehicle in 20 years. But I am guessing most will not. It will be significantly more expensive to do so. Taxes on personally owned vehicles will begin to skyrocket, as governments will want to limit cars that are on the road. Or you might see what you see now in New York, Seattle, Chicago, etc...where you pay $250-$1000/mo (or more!) for a parking space. The luxury of everyone owning a car was fine when there were only 100 million Americans. As room gets more limited and populations increase, we will need to change our society to a different paradigm.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked Onstar wasnt run by the government. That aside first thing I did when I got the truck was to disconnect the system.
 
travisty said:
Wow someone who likes a ton of ugly-ass buttons? So be it. I'll talk to my car. No need to use any controls.
Click to expand...

Physical buttons, dials and knobs are all vastly superior to touch screen controls, as you can use them based on feel alone and don't need to take your eyes off the road at all.

Just like I never want to talk to my phone, or my TV and I refused to use any of those personal assistant devices, I also don't want that garbage in my car. Voice controls are just objectively bad in all of their forms, and will never be acceptable, no matter how far the tech evolves.

I shouldn't have to interrupt a conversation, or make everyone be quiet so I can talk to my equipment. It's much more obtrusive than just pressing a button.

That, and this is in direct violation of best practices in human factors engineering. It takes cognitive function to construct a sentence or a voice command, it takes next to none to reach out and press a button. It is thus much less distracting.

Thing is, while I prefer physical switches, that in and of itself would not be the deal breaker. If the Model 3 had the same displays behind the wheel as the Model S does, I could live with that. What absolutely kills it for me is the single center screen. I want everything in my field of view straight ahead of me when I'm driving. This is a non-negotiable. A car could be perfect in every other regard, but if it lacks this, I won't even look at it twice.

travisty said:
I'm also free from the dealership model and get updates frequently that keep making the car better drive wise and interface wise. I'm surprised anyone still spends money on vehicles based off the old paradigm
Click to expand...

I agree, this is a better model. I wish that car dealerships wouldd go the way of the dodo and I could oust the Middle man and buy straight from the manufacturer, but I'm not going to buy a car I don't like just to be able to do so.


travisty said:
What's not driver centric about it?
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As described above, everything about the controls and the layout of the cockpit. I ahce never seen a car that is LESS driver centric than the Model 3

travisty said:
And quite honestly I don't drive it much. I let it drive me :)
Click to expand...

I guess that's nice, if you like the taxi experience.

I don't. I want to personally be in complete control of the vehicle at all times.
 
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kju1 said:
Get an S ;)
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I would, but starting at $70k?

Might as well cost a billion dollars. That is completely outside the realm of reason for any vehicle.

I usually buy 2-3 year old premium European sedans with 30-40k miles on them and have never spent more than the 20k range, and I don't think I ever will.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I would, but starting at $70k?

Might as well cost a billion dollars. That is completely outside the realm of reason for any vehicle.

I usually buy 2-3 year old premium European sedans with 30-40k miles on them and have never spent more than the 20k range, and I don't think I ever will.
Click to expand...

My truck was 60k...and worth every penny from now until ~20 yrs from now when I buy a new one. My last truck as a 91...
 
kju1 said:
My truck was 60k...and worth every penny from now until ~20 yrs from now when I buy a new one. My last truck as a 91...
Click to expand...


Jesus. Trucks cost $60k now? Makes absolutely no sense. They are some of the cheapest vehicles to produce. They could probablt make a decent profit on them I'd they sold them for $15k, new.

No wonder Ford is dropping most of their small cars to focus on trucks. The profit margins must be insane.

Different strokes for different folks.

I was always raised with the philosophy that only an absolute idiot buys a new car, and it stuck with me. Let some other schmuck take the depreciation and then buy it still under warranty for half the price.

I was willing to make an exception for an electric car, as it is new tech. The Model 3 fit the bill at $35k -7.5k federal credit - 2.5k state credit made it a $25k car, which seemed pretty reasonable to me.

Any car I buy has to be able to perform reasonably in the snow. I'd do FWD or AWD, but never RWD under any circumstance, unless it was a summer only track toy

This means that I have to wait for the AWD models that are coming last. At that point in time there will likely not longer be any credits, and the price for AWD models with options (because Apparently Tesla takes the German approach and makes absolutely nothing standard) as well as the extra cost of AWD and the larger battery, we are probably talking about a $50k car.

I could probably afford it, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money on a car, especially when it turns out I completely disagree with its design philosophy.

So, I had to cancel it.

If I could get a new Model S for about 40k-45k, I'd do it, but other than that, Tesla is now dead to me...

...as is pretty much any brand that tries to force voice commands, autonomous driving and non driver-oriented cockpit on me.

Want to make me happy? Give me a 200+ mile electric version of a MY2000 Volvo V70 wagon. Keep the interior and all features exactly the same. There is no need to mess with perfection.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Jesus. Trucks cost $60k now? Makes absolutely no sense. They are some of the cheapest vehicles to produce. They could probablt make a decent profit on them I'd they sold them for $15k, new.

No wonder Ford is dropping most of their small cars to focus on trucks. The profit margins must be insane.

Different strokes for different folks.

I was always raised with the philosophy that only an absolute idiot buys a new car, and it stuck with me. Let some other schmuck take the depreciation and then buy it still under warranty for half the price.

I was willing to make an exception for an electric car, as it is new tech. The Model 3 fit the bill at $35k -7.5k federal credit - 2.5k state credit made it a $25k car, which seemed pretty reasonable to me.

Any car I buy has to be able to perform reasonably in the snow. I'd do FWD or AWD, but never RWD under any circumstance, unless it was a summer only track toy

This means that I have to wait for the AWD models that are coming last. At that point in time there will likely not longer be any credits, and the price for AWD models with options (because Apparently Tesla takes the German approach and makes absolutely nothing standard) as well as the extra cost of AWD and the larger battery, we are probably talking about a $50k car.

I could probably afford it, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money on a car, especially when it turns out I completely disagree with its design philosophy.

So, I had to cancel it.

If I could get a new Model S for about 40k-45k, I'd do it, but other than that, Tesla is now dead to me...

...as is pretty much any brand that tries to force voice commands, autonomous driving and non driver-oriented cockpit on me.

Want to make me happy? Give me a 200+ mile electric version of a MY2000 Volvo V70 wagon. Keep the interior and all features exactly the same. There is no need to mess with perfection.
Click to expand...


Well keep in mind I bought the biggest truck Chevy makes for consumers. I needed the towing/hauling capacity for what I do. And I use it....a lot. As soon as the break in period was over it had 7,000lbs in the bed and a trailer wither another 10k lbs on it.

My parents were always the same way with buying used. My reasoning was 1) I cant find all the options I want in a used one (I looked) and 2) Since I am going to keep it ~20 years. Id rather know whats been done to the engine over the course of its life than wonder how hard those first 30-40k miles were....
 
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