There has been much talk concerning the Tesla Robotaxi since Elon Musk first announced plans to build one. More recently, many have expressed excitement over the autonomous option for public transportation. However, others plan to take the “wait and see” approach. Now, the Tesla CEO has confirmed that the previously planned unveiling would come later than expected. However, there’s a reason why this may not be a bad thing.

The Robotaxi unveiling has been postponed following reports saying the same

A report came out recently that the Robotaxi unveiling wouldn’t happen until sometime in October. This was despite plans to show off the autonomous public transportation option on August 8th. Sadly for Tesla, the company’s stock took a hit following the report. However, according to TechCrunch, Elon Musk has made it official that the event will come later than the company previously announced. 

In true Elon fashion, there was no official announcement regarding postponing the Robotaxi event. Instead, he responded to a question from an X user by saying, “Requested what I think is an important design change to the front, and extra time allows us to show off a few other things.”

Musk first announced the Robotaxi event back in April, and this is said to have been a surprise to Tesla employees. Because of this, it’s no real shocker that the event has been pushed back. There have been talks of the Robotaxi for years, with Elon first saying it would be out by 2020. He later said the autonomous public transportation option would be out by 2024.

Based on how things went with the Cybertruck, it’s safe to say you won’t see the Robotaxi on the roads until a few years from now, especially with the amount of layoffs Tesla has had recently. 

A delay may not be a bad thing

No one likes delays, but they are common in the automotive world. However, the short delay of the Robotaxi event and the potential setbacks to come regarding production may be best for the product. A recent survey from AAA highlighted the fear many Americans have of autonomous vehicles. According to the survey, only 9 percent of the 1,000 subjects said they have faith in a car not driven by a person. More alarmingly, 66 percent of the respondents said they were outright afraid of the technology. 

Of course, Tesla delaying the Robotaxi unveiling by a few months won’t make much of a difference. As mentioned, we’re probably a few years out from when people can actually use the taxi. However, most people say they are averse to this technology, which means any delay may work in favor of the Robotaxi. This gives potential passengers more time to adjust to the idea despite there being companies that are currently testing or offering this type of public transportation.