CyberRoboTaxi

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During the 22Q1 conference call a reference was made about a robot taxi that would not look like a traditional car. It got me thinking, what would the most efficient robot taxi look like…?

I am speculating it will be a three 3 wheeled, stainless steel, LFP, single motor, solar panel equipped, two seater. It will be stamped out using a new 12,000 ton Giga Press. Very few parts and easy to manufacture. Cost to manufacture would be less than $10k

Here is my thinking:

It would be outside all the time, thus, stainless steel & solar become more practical

By having 3 wheels would only need to comply with motorcycle compliance, meaning no side mirrors plus less resistance and less cost.

A two seater would be light weight and meet the needs of most riders. How often do you need 4 seats. If you do need 4 seats order two CyberTaxis

N.ICE
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firsttruck

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......
Here is my thinking:

It would be outside all the time, thus, stainless steel & solar become more practical

By having 3 wheels would only need to comply with motorcycle compliance, meaning no side mirrors plus less resistance and less cost.
.....
N.ICE

Elon has stated a few times he wants to have the safest vehicles on the road.

Based on Elon's previous statements it is unlikely Tesla will ever build 2 or 3 wheeled road vehicles for passengers. Maybe for cargo delivery 2-3 wheeled vehicles would be OK.

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Elon Musk @elonmusk ·
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We won’t do road bikes, as too dangerous. I was hit by a truck & almost died on one when I was 17.
Dec 7, 2019 6:00 PM


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Elon Musk @elonmusk - Can’t support 3 wheel vehicles. Not safe enough.
7:54 PM · Sep 25, 2020


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Elon Musk Crashed Arcimoto FUV: No Wonder He Won't Support 3-Wheelers Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Sandy Murno he can't support three-wheelers since they're not safe enough.
Dec 02, 2020
By: Steven Loveday
https://insideevs.com/news/457993/elon-musk-crashed-arcimoto-three-wheel-ev/

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Arcimoto CEO claims Elon Musk crashed their three-wheeled electric vehicle
By Micah Toll - Nov. 30th 2020
https://electrek.co/2020/11/30/arci...crashed-their-three-wheeled-electric-vehicle/

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CyberGus

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It would be outside all the time, thus, stainless steel & solar become more practical

By having 3 wheels would only need to comply with motorcycle compliance, meaning no side mirrors plus less resistance and less cost.

A two seater would be light weight and meet the needs of most riders. How often do you need 4 seats. If you do need 4 seats order two CyberTaxis
Why would a driverless vehicle lacking pedals and a steering wheel need mirrors??

I'm a stainless stan, but unless it's structural it's too heavy.

The robotaxi will undoubtedly be the primary conveyance for Boring tunnels, so it would need sufficient passenger room to maximize tunnel throughput.
 

CyberGus

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Elon has stated a few times he wants to have the safest vehicles on the road.

Based on Elon's previous statements it is unlikely Tesla will ever build 2 or 3 wheeled road vehicles for passengers. Maybe for cargo delivery 2-3 wheeled vehicles would be OK.

---------------------

Elon Musk @elonmusk ·
......
We won’t do road bikes, as too dangerous. I was hit by a truck & almost died on one when I was 17.
Dec 7, 2019 6:00 PM


---------------------

Elon Musk @elonmusk - Can’t support 3 wheel vehicles. Not safe enough.
7:54 PM · Sep 25, 2020


---------------------

Elon Musk Crashed Arcimoto FUV: No Wonder He Won't Support 3-Wheelers Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Sandy Murno he can't support three-wheelers since they're not safe enough.
Dec 02, 2020
By: Steven Loveday
https://insideevs.com/news/457993/elon-musk-crashed-arcimoto-three-wheel-ev/

---------------------

Arcimoto CEO claims Elon Musk crashed their three-wheeled electric vehicle
By Micah Toll - Nov. 30th 2020
https://electrek.co/2020/11/30/arci...crashed-their-three-wheeled-electric-vehicle/

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I'm no fan of donorcycles, and believe that 4 wheels provide more stability (and thus safety) than 3 wheels.

That said, there are plenty of high-density urban areas where the streets are too small and crowded to allow extreme maneuvering or high speed, making smaller vehicles ideal. That's just not Tesla's market.
 

firsttruck

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.....

By having 3 wheels would only need to comply with motorcycle compliance, meaning no side mirrors plus less resistance and less cost.
.....

N.ICE

Hopefully by end of 2024, the government will have finished updating the regulations so Tesla RoboTaxis specific models will not be required to have steering wheel, pedals or mirrors.

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Oct 5, 2018
New Federal Policies Would Allow Self-Driving Cars without Steering Wheels or Mirrors on Public Roads The pro-business government regulations take a hands-off approach to autonomous vehicles.
By Clifford Atiyeh
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a23602511/self-driving-cars-requirements-loosened/

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The U.S. government will remove requirements for steering wheels, mirrors, and other safety equipment to speed the development of automated vehicles and make it even easier for automakers and tech companies to test their prototypes on public roads.

Speaking in Washington on Thursday, transportation secretary Elaine Chao introduced new voluntary guidance, dubbed AV 3.0, that attempts to unify all federal agencies on autonomous-vehicle policy. Major rules that currently block manufacturers like Cruise Automation from certifying autonomous cars for sale will be changed. That means steering wheels, pedals, mirrors, and other required equipment will be either loosely defined or entirely optional.

"NHTSA's current safety standards constitute an unintended regulatory barrier to innovation," the report said. In the report, the DOT clarified that in future rulings it will define "driver" and "operator" as either a human driver or an automated driving system. It will also eliminate the public comment period on requests from manufacturers to waive certain requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

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Feb 6, 2020
The federal government just granted its first driverless car exemption 3 comments Nuro is first to nab a coveted FMVSS exemption from the US Department of Transportation
‘When Nuro removes the mirrors and doesn’t have the windshield and doesn’t have the backup camera, we conclude that the vehicle itself will be at least as safe as if it did have these things.’”
By Andrew J. Hawkins@andyjayhawk
https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21125358/nuro-self-driving-delivery-robot-r2-fmvss-exemption

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“In order for them to grant this exemption, the process requires them to conclude that the vehicle itself is at least as safe as one that would be required to meet the standards,” he said in an interview with The Verge. “That doesn’t mean that they look at the whole vehicle. But what it means is they say, ‘When Nuro removes the mirrors and doesn’t have the windshield and doesn’t have the backup camera, we conclude that the vehicle itself will be at least as safe as if it did have these things.’”

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Nuro isn’t the only company to seek an exemption from the Department of Transportation for its autonomous vehicles. General Motors submitted its own petition to mass-produce a fleet of autonomous Chevy Bolts without steering wheel and pedals. The petition has been through the public comment period, but DOT has yet to issue a response. Unlike Nuro, though, GM is seeking exemptions for vehicles that can drive over 25 mph, likely making it a more complicated case for regulators. “Since this is a low-speed self-driving delivery vehicle, certain features that the Department traditionally required – such as mirrors and windshield for vehicles carrying drivers – no longer make sense,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a statement.

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Mar 12, 2022
NHTSA Rules That Manual Controls Are Not Required In Self-Driving Cars There are currently no self-driving cars, but when one will appear, it will not have to have a steering wheel or pedals.
By: Andrei Nedelea
https://insideevs.com/news/573088/nhtsa-no-steering-wheel-autonomous-cars/

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Posted on March 11, 2022
NHTSA halts requirement of human controls in fully autonomous vehicles A Chevy Bolt with no steering wheel or physical pedals.
By Joey Klender
https://www.teslarati.com/nhtsa-halts-requirement-of-human-controls-in-fully-autonomous-vehicles/

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In February, General Motors started petitioning for permission to build self-driving vehicles void of human controls. Steering wheels and brake pedals would not be essential for fully autonomous vehicles because the cars will require no human intervention or interaction with driving. The car will handle 100 percent of the driving responsibilities, leaving passengers to use time on the road for whatever they please.

“As the driver changes from a person to a machine in ADS-equipped vehicles, the need to keep the humans safe remains the same and must be integrated from the beginning,” Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator, said in a press release. “With this rule, we ensure that manufacturers put safety first.”

The rules set previously were written for common, traditional vehicle features, the NHTSA said. The updates clarify what automakers must do when applying the standards to ADS-equipped vehicles that will lack manual controls. “The final rule clarifies that, despite their innovative designs, vehicles with ADS technology must continue to provide the same high levels of occupant protection as current passenger vehicles,” the agency added.

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One could make the argument… if a 2 seat, 3-wheel Robo-Taxi was designed from the ground up to be super safe. For Example:

Stainless Steel Exoskeleton with roll cage
Air Bag equipped
Low center of gravity
Full Self Driving

It would be many times safer than any motor cycle or 3-wheeler on the road today.

Perhaps safe enough for Elon to reconsider a low cost, super efficient 2 seat 3-wheeler as a Robo-taxi?

N.ICE
 

firsttruck

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One could make the argument… if a 2 seat, 3-wheel Robo-Taxi was designed from the ground up to be super safe. For Example:

Stainless Steel Exoskeleton with roll cage
Air Bag equipped
Low center of gravity
Full Self Driving

It would be many times safer than any motor cycle or 3-wheeler on the road today.

Perhaps safe enough for Elon to reconsider a low cost, super efficient 2 seat 3-wheeler as a Robo-taxi?

N.ICE

4-wheel EV will also have FSD and even low center of gravity.

What about much less space for crumple zone to reduce deceleration forces.

Elon already said an extra thousands of cost is not important over the long-term with Robotaxis.

A 3-wheeled vehicle that matched the safety of a inherently more stable 4-wheeled vehicle might cost more than the 4-wheeled vehicle.

Remember you not only need to protect occupants from crashing into things but from things crashing into the 3-wheeled vehicle.

A large SUV or large pickup truck crashing into the side of the 3-wheeled vehicle.

A large SUV or large pickup truck crashing into the back of the 3-wheeled vehicle.
 
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CyberGus

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...Remember you not only need to protect occupants from crashing into things but from things crashing into the 3-wheeled vehicle.

A large SUV or large pickup truck crashing into the side of the 3-wheeled vehicle.

A large SUV or large pickup truck crashing into the back of the 3-wheeled vehicle.
When I drive a DeLorean around Texas, I'm surrounded by large pickups and SUVs, making me nervous AF. Like being a cat in a rocking-chair room
 
 




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