Tesla has confirmed that its new minibus is in the early stages of development confirmed and will be built on the company’s Model X chassis, to ease the process of bringing it to production, Electrek reported.
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, said that the bus is inspired by the ‘California Custom VW combi.’
In his recent ‘Master Plan’ speech, Elon Musk said the vehicle would be a ‘high passenger-density urban transport vehicle’ and specifically talked about it being enabled by autonomous driving.
He said: “With the advent of autonomy, it will probably make sense to shrink the size of buses and transition the role of bus driver to that of fleet manager.
“Traffic congestion would improve due to increased passenger areal density by eliminating the center aisle and putting seats where there are currently entryways, and matching acceleration and braking to other vehicles, thus avoiding the inertial impedance to smooth traffic flow of traditional heavy buses.
“It would also take people all the way to their destination. Fixed summon buttons at existing bus stops would serve those who don’t have a phone. Design accommodates wheelchairs, strollers and bikes.”
