Tesla CEO Elon Musk caused a surprise recently by presenting a new multi-passenger van and minibus concept. “The Robovan is what’s going to solve for high density. So if you want to take a sports team somewhere, or you’re looking to really get the cost of travel down to […] 5-10 cents a mile, then you can use the Robovan,” he said.
The company had previously dropped hints about a van and had said that it was developing ‘high passenger-density urban transport’ vehicles, as well as suggesting that autonomous buses could be part of its plans.
The 20-passenger bus, which images show to have rows of seats facing towards the centre, features full self-driving technology, with no steering wheel on board, and Tesla says it could take on work such as school bus duties but could also be configured to carry goods. The Tesla CEO and founder added: “We want to change the look of the roads. The future should look like the future.”
