London's 'Singing Cabbie' gives his verdict on Elon Musk's rival Robotaxi

Tesla tycoon Elon Musk has yet unveiled his firm's self-driving Cybercab, but sceptics see London's celebrated 'Singing Cabbie'

Billionaire Elon Musk has unveiled Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi - but it has already turned up late.

The world’s richest antheral claimed the electrical car giant’s autonomous conveyance could deed the roads immoderate clip “before 2027”. But sceptics questioned the timescale, with the task having suffered delays. However, it comes amid a thrust for much self-driving vehicles which, it is claimed, tin trim accidents.

Mr Musk, brag of Tesla, claimed its sleek, futuristic two-seater Cybercab would beryllium disposable for little than £23,000. “You tin deliberation of it similar individualised wide transit,” helium said, unveiling the cab astatine Warner Bros Studios successful Burbank, California, on with the prototype for a “Robovan” which tin ferry up to 20 passengers astir astatine a time.

Regulators volition besides request to o.k. the technology earlier they tin transportation passengers here, but robotaxis are already operating connected immoderate US roads. Mr Musk and Tesla are going head-to-head with Waymo, owned by Google genitor institution Alphabet.

The imaginable of autonomous taxis successful Britain’s raises questions implicit the aboriginal of quality cab drivers.

Aiden Kent, London’s celebrated Singing Cabbie, isn’t getting disquieted conscionable yet. He told the Mirror: “It’s going to come, whether that’s successful 10, 20, 100 years. No-one knows, but not successful the contiguous future. There is simply a batch of h2o to beryllium crossed.

“The quality encephalon is specified a fantastic computer, truthful thing tin regenerate the quality brain. In this occupation your encephalon is perpetually going, moving retired the traffic, reasoning of ways to go.

“People say, ‘you’ve got sat-nav’, but you’re successful Piccadilly and you privation to bash a three-point crook to spell west, your encephalon goes ‘ok, plaything the cab round’, particularly with turning ellipse we have, and past you’re off. It lone comes with the cognition and the skills of the roads.

“You’re besides not going to find retired what’s happening successful the world. Plus, they can’t sing similar me!” Mr Kent besides highlighted the societal broadside of talking to a drivers, arsenic good arsenic information issues.

Samitha Samaranayake, an subordinate prof successful engineering astatine Cornell University, agreed: “It is simply a large chunk of metallic driving connected roads astatine precocious speeds, truthful information concerns are big.”

Dan Coatsworth, concern expert astatine City steadfast AJ Bell, besides questioned the timescale for the launch. He said: “The institution has signifier successful hyping up things and past pushing backmost motorboat dates, meaning investors mightiness lone get excited erstwhile determination is coagulated impervious the caller conveyance is astir to deed the road.”

Matt Britzman, elder equity probe analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The Robotaxi itself was expected, acceptable to motorboat earlier 2027, but investors were besides treated to a 20-seater Robovan and a close-up of Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, which looks further on than galore had thought.

“Put together, and Elon’s imaginativeness for the aboriginal of Tesla has ne'er been clearer. But there’s inactive a elephantine chasm betwixt that aboriginal and wherever the institution sits today.”

Mr Musk besides unveiled Tesla'a Optimus robot, to assistance your the location with chores. It prompted immoderate to worryingly comparison it to that from the movie I, Robot.