Tesla cherche à enregistrer les marques « Robot Taxi » et « Robot Bus » et envisage de produire des taxis autonomes.

Tesla, the American electric car manufacturer, has applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office to register the words « RoboTaxi » and « RoboBus » as exclusive trademarks. This move is part of the company’s efforts to dominate the growing market for self-driving vehicles.

The word « RoboTaxi » has become known in recent years to refer to self-driving taxis that transport passengers without a driver. This technology is widely used in the United States, with Waymo, owned by Alphabet, being one of the first companies to introduce this type of vehicle.

Last week, Tesla filed an application to register these trademarks, and Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, unveiled an initial model of a self-driving taxi and a self-driving bus that can carry up to 20 passengers. This step is part of the company’s plans to develop smart public transportation.

According to a report from Electric, a specialist in electric transport, Tesla recently filed this application for the first time. While Musk sometimes uses the names « CyberCab » and « RoboVan » to refer to self-driving cars and buses, the company has not yet submitted an official application to register the « CyberCab » mark. At the same time, the startup Starsky Technologies has already registered the name « RoboVan » in 2019, although it has not yet produced any products carrying this name.

Tesla plans to start producing self-driving taxis by 2026, and Musk expects them to be sold to individuals for less than $30,000. Despite these expectations, Musk admits that he is often overly optimistic about timelines.

The lack of clear details about these plans has disappointed investors, leading to a 9% drop in Tesla’s stock after the announcement of the new models. While Tesla relies solely on camera technology in developing its self-driving system, competitors like Waymo use more expensive technologies such as lidar sensors that provide precise surround vision.