Elon's Historic Week: Cybercab And Starship | The Brainstorm EP 65
Oct 16, 2024
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Elon Musk is in the spotlight with the launch of Tesla's Cybercab and a successful SpaceX Starship landing. The discussion dives into how these innovations are set to disrupt the transportation sector, comparing Tesla's approach to competitors. The potential for urban mobility and the implications of autonomous vehicles take center stage. Plus, a glimpse into the future of space travel is explored, highlighting reusable rockets and plans for Mars colonization. Exciting times are indeed ahead in tech and innovation!
Tesla's Cybercab showcases significant advancements in autonomous vehicle technology, possibly revolutionizing urban transportation with low-cost ride services.
SpaceX's Starship 5 launch demonstrates cost-effective rocket recovery methods, significantly reducing expenses and enhancing the feasibility of space exploration projects.
Deep dives
Advancements in RoboTaxi Technology
Tesla's recent developments in RoboTaxi technology demonstrate significant advancements in fully autonomous vehicles. During a recent event, Tesla showcased a prototype vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals that successfully navigated a closed circuit autonomously, marking a pivotal achievement in their mission for full autonomy. This vehicle, referred to as a cyber cab, underscored Tesla's manufacturing capabilities, as they were able to produce prototypes quickly, a feat that would take competitors much longer to achieve. Furthermore, the cost per mile for Tesla's RoboTaxi service could be as low as 20 cents when scaled, which poses a serious threat to traditional ride-hailing services like Uber, potentially transforming the future of urban transportation.
Comparing Tesla's Approach to Competitors
The discussion highlighted key differences in the approaches of Tesla and Waymo towards autonomous driving technology. While Waymo has opted for a complex sensor suite that includes LiDAR, Tesla utilizes a vision-only system with cameras, leveraging their vast data collection from millions of on-road vehicles. This allows Tesla to gather significant amounts of real-world driving data, estimated at around 5 million miles per day, compared to Waymo's approximately 70,000 miles. By avoiding reliance on high-definition maps and utilizing their manufacturing prowess, Tesla is better positioned to scale their RoboTaxi efforts faster than Waymo, leading to a potentially dominant presence in the market.
The Impact of SpaceX's Starship Launch
SpaceX's recent Starship 5 launch represents a monumental step in reducing costs and enhancing reusability in space travel. The successful recovery of the rocket using a unique catching mechanism signifies a shift in the economics of rocket launches, with potential costs per kilogram to low Earth orbit possibly decreasing from over $2,000 to as low as $20. This advancement not only facilitates more frequent launches but also enhances capabilities for projects like Starlink, which aims to provide global internet coverage. Ultimately, these developments align with long-term goals of human space exploration, including missions to Mars, showcasing how innovation in space technology can profoundly impact everyday life on Earth.
It’s a good week to be Elon Musk! This week, Autonomous Technology and Robotics Director of Research Sam Korus and Director Of Investment Analysis & Institutional Strategies Tasha Keeney discuss recent launch of Cybercab, and the successful landing of SpaceX’s starship rocket.
If you know ARK, then you probably know about our long-term research projections, like estimating where we will be 5-10 years from now! But just because we are long-term investors, doesn’t mean we don’t have strong views and opinions on breaking news. In fact, we discuss and debate this every day. So now we’re sharing some of these internal discussions with you in our new video series, “The Brainstorm”, a co-production from ARK and Public.com. Tune in every week as we react to the latest in innovation. Here and there we’ll be joined by special guests, but ultimately this is our chance to join the conversation and share ARK’s quick takes on what’s going on in tech today.
Key Points From This Episode:
SpaceX successfully landed the booster of it’s Starship rocket on this 5th historic launch
Tesla unveiled its Cybercab autonomous taxi and we discuss what it was like to ride in first hand
For more updates on Public.com:
Website: https://public.com/
YouTube: @publicinvest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/public
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