- Tesla just gave us a glimpse of its planned ride-sharing interface.
- Elon Musk’s company is emphasizing its autonomous driving and robotaxi businesses as demand for electric vehicles slows.
- Tesla has not said when it will launch a ride-sharing service.
Tesla released more details on Tuesday about its plans to launch an Uber-style ride-sharing service.
The service would be integrated into the Tesla app, which Tesla owners can already use for almost all of the vehicle’s features, the company said.
Tesla’s first-quarter earnings presentation contained screenshots depicting a dark-and-white interface that would allow drivers to summon a so-called driverless vehicle, adjust the car’s interior temperature and track its location on a 3D map.
Overview of the carpooling interface in the Tesla app You’re here
During a call with investors, Musk provided a bit more detail about Tesla’s plans for the robo-taxi business, comparing them to a combination of Airbnb and Uber.
“There will be a number of cars that Tesla owns and operates itself, and a number of them will be owned by the end user,” Musk said.
The result, Musk said, will be “tens of millions of cars” in an autonomous fleet that will provide Tesla with a constant stream of data and feedback when things go wrong.
Tesla has placed greater emphasis on the potential value of its self-driving software and robotaxi businesses, as slowing demand for electric vehicles weighs on sales and price cuts reduce Tesla’s huge profit margins in the automotive sector. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced earlier in April that the company would reveal a long-awaited deal robot taxi in August.
Despite pushback from safety groups and high-profile legal issues, Tesla has moved forward with new iterations of its driver-assistance software, which it calls “Full-Self Driving,” or FSD. Tesla also said it was working on a ride-sharing feature that would be available in the future.
businessinsider
