--- title: "Tesla Won’t Have Much to Show at “Light on Details” Robotaxi Event, Analyst Warns" description: "A Tesla bull warned that next week's \"robotaxi\" event will be \"light on details,\" despite unveiling not just one but three vehicles." date: "2024-10-03" modified: "2024-10-03" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-robotaxi-event-light-details" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "full self-driving" - "robotaxis" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Won’t Have Much to Show at “Light on Details” Robotaxi Event, Analyst Warns ![A Tesla bull warned that next week's "robotaxi" event will be "light on details," despite unveiling not just one but three vehicles.]() *\Image: SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Short on Details We're one week away from Tesla's long-awaited "robotaxi" event — and investors are already attempting to manage expectations. Tesla CEO Elon Musk [promised to unveil an autonomous vehicle]() at the event, which was [initially slated for August](). But whether the beleaguered EV maker will have anything to show beyond some flashy renderings remains unclear at best. During a [recent appearance on *CNBC*](), Deepwater Management partner Gene Munster warned that the event will be "light on details," despite unveiling not just one but *three* vehicles: a "Robovan," a "robotaxi," and an ultra-cheap $25,000 EV. The development of an affordable passenger vehicle has long been a point of contention, with investors worried that Tesla's focus on a robotaxi could end up delaying its development. Meanwhile, the company's so-called "Full Self-Driving" driver assistance software has also met several stumbling blocks, with regulators investigating hundreds of collisions and dozens of deaths related to the company's overarching Autopilot system. ## Launch Party According to Munster, the Robovan will be "some time off," suggesting we'd have to wait years until it hits the market. Case in point, the Cybertruck hit the market four long years after Musk unveiled it in 2019. Munster predicted that Musk will use the event as a mere "launch party" that won't go into the nitty-gritty of the company's actual plans. "The one detail that I’m going to hyper-focused on is that cheaper $25,000 car, when they expect to ramp production," he told *CNBC*. Investors are hoping that such a vehicle could boost the company's lagging growth numbers. And Tesla could really use a boost right about now. The company announced its third-quarter deliveries on Wednesday, [falling short of expectations and causing shares to slump](). That's despite global sales [increasing 6.4 percent](). We've already watched as Tesla has spread itself thin, choosing to double down on the development of the Cybertruck, a significant and [seemingly flawed]() engineering departure. Musk has [made it abundantly clear]() that he believes Tesla's future will ultimately be determined by the success or failure of its autonomous driving department. But given many regulatory hurdles ahead and plenty of potentially dangerous software shortcomings plaguing its current crop of "self-driving" features, Tesla has its work cut out. "Tesla is behind in gaining regulatory approval for robotaxis... and it may be difficult to overcome without local, ongoing trials," asset management firm Bernstein [wrote in a Wednesday note](). **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla's Cybertruck Just Can't Stop Getting Recalled Over and Over Again]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()