Tesla Robovan

Tesla Robovan
Overview
ManufacturerTesla, Inc.
DesignerFranz von Holzhausen
Body and chassis
Body styleVan

The Tesla Robovan is an electric autonomous van. Announced in October 2024 during the We Robot event, the vehicle is being designed to carry up to 20 passengers.

History

Background

The Tesla Master Plan Part Deux, released in 2016, said Tesla was developing "high passenger-density urban transport" and suggested autonomous buses could be shrunk in size, and in July 2022 Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted "Maybe Tesla should make a highly configurable Robovan for people & cargo?"

TechCrunch reported that a larger vehicle teased at Tesla's 2023 Investor Day in March 2023 was likely the Robovan. The Tesla Master Plan Part 3, released in April 2023, listed "Commercial/Passenger Vans" and "Bus" in its global fleet model, with the Tesla equivalent for each still "TBD".

Announcement

A concept version of the autonomous electric Robovan was unveiled on 10 October 2024 at the "We, Robot" event at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles, with a prototype driving up near the main stage, and 14 people exited the vehicle. The Cybercab and the first free-walking Optimus humanoid robots were the principal features of the event.

Musk said the Robovan can carry up to 20 passengers and can also be used to transport goods. TechCrunch said the vehicle had a "retro-futuristic look" with no steering wheel. As the van rolled towards the stage, Musk said "We're going to make this, and it's going to look like that." The Robovan is intended to operate on the Tesla Network, Tesla's ridehailing service for self-driving vehicles.

At the event, Musk did not say how much the Robovan would cost, how it would be produced, or when it would be released.

Developments since the announcement

In February 2025 Tesla filed two U.S. trademark applications for the name "Robus", one covering electric vehicles and buses and the other covering ridesharing and vehicle-sharing services. On 4 August 2026 Tesla was granted U.S. design patent D1,138,869 for the vehicle's exterior, naming Franz von Holzhausen among the inventors.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Elon Musk unveils the Robovan: the biggest surprise from Tesla's We, Robot event". TechCrunch. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tesla's robovan is the surprise of the night". The Verge. 10 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Musk, Elon (20 July 2016). "Master Plan, Part Deux". Tesla. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Lambert, Fred (7 July 2022). "Elon Musk suggests Tesla will make 'highly configurable Robovan' for people and cargo". Electrek. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  5. ↑ The Tesla Team (5 April 2023). "Master Plan Part 3: Sustainable Energy for All of Earth" (PDF). Tesla. p. 22. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Rivers, Stephen (10 October 2024). "The Tesla Robovan Is Elon Musk's Vision of Group Transport for the Future". Road & Track. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Dnistran, Iulian (12 February 2025). "Tesla Trademark Hints At Robovan Sharing Program". InsideEVs. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  8. ↑ Malik, Nehal (6 August 2026). "Tesla Secures New Robovan Design Patent". Not a Tesla App. Retrieved 31 October 2026.