Tesla is introducing a robotaxi on August 8, Elon Musk has announced on X a number of hours after Reuters printed a report that the automaker is scrapping its plans to supply a low-cost EV. Reuters additionally mentioned that Musk’s directive was to “go all in” on robotaxis constructed on the corporate’s small-vehicle platform. Tesla has been promising a extra inexpensive EV with costs anticipated to begin at $25,000 for years, and Musk mentioned as lately as this January that he is optimistic the mannequin will arrive within the second half of 2025. In response to the report, the Tesla chief tweeted that “Reuters is mendacity (once more).”

He did not make clear which a part of the report was a lie, however contemplating he confirmed that Tesla is unveiling a robotaxi, he probably meant the information group’s declare that the corporate pulled the plug on a extra inexpensive EV. In the intervening time, Tesla’s least expensive car is the Mannequin 3, however its costs begin at $39,000. It’s going to be attention-grabbing to see how the corporate will make a robotaxi work with its camera-only system — it dropped radar and different sensors, which robotaxi corporations like Waymo use extensively, from its driver help applied sciences a number of years in the past.