Is the Taxi Cheaper than the Bus and Metro Thanks to Tesla?
This page is translated from the original post "Le Taxi moins cher que le Bus et le Metro grâce à Tesla ?" in French.
- 24/09/2024 10:16
The main quality of a good salesperson is to believe in their product. In this regard, Elon Musk is a case study with the Tesla Robotaxi.
Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk claimed back in early 2022 in front of his shareholders that a ride in a Robotaxi would cost less than a bus or subway ticket. He also stated that Robotaxis would be mass-produced by 2024 and that autonomous driving would be widespread by 2023. It’s worth noting that at the project’s inception, Robotaxis were supposed to be operational by… 2020. Always the optimist, Uncle Elon, but we can’t really blame him for believing in his projects!
Two years later, the argument resurfaces as noted by our colleagues from Electrek. However, Elon Musk has slightly refined his statement, specifying that a typical ride would cost less per kilometer in a Robotaxi than by bus. Naturally, with a simple bus ticket, you can cover several kilometers if you don’t set a specific destination. When using such arguments, it’s better to set some ground rules.
A recent study from American universities in Virginia and Texas has estimated the cost per mile (1.609 km) of the Robotaxi service as presented by Tesla. The study concluded that an autonomous journey of 20 km based on the operational cost of a Tesla Model 3 Taxi costs about $0.663 per km. This is about twice as much as an equivalent journey by bus in New York, a city where public transport is the most expensive in North America. Unsurprisingly, it is significantly cheaper than an equivalent trip via Uber. Naturally, without the human factor, costs drop dramatically. However, in public transport, employee wages are distributed over hundreds of travelers.
Despite Elon Musk’s claims, the Robotaxi will therefore not be cheaper than the bus or subway, at least in the short term. However, it will severely impact taxis and ride-hailing services, hence some understandable visceral reactions from the CEO of Uber.
ALSO READ: Tesla: Has the location for the Robotaxi presentation leaked?
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