What we know about Tesla's new Robovan so far

• Tesla is going into the van business with its Robovan.

• Elon Musk unveiled a prototype at Tesla's "We, Robot" event on Thursday.

• Musk first talked about making a van in 2016.

Tesla has announced a new addition to its fleet of sedans and Cybertrucks — the Robovan.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Robovan at the company's "We, Robot" event, which saw the EV giant showcase its latest autonomous offerings.

Besides the Robovan, Musk also touted Tesla's upcoming vehicle, the Robotaxi, or Cybercab, and the company's Optimus robots.

The Robovan's reveal came as a surprise, considering how most people were only expecting to see the Robotaxi's debut.

"What happens if you need a vehicle that's bigger than a Model Y?" Musk said on Thursday evening before a Robovan prototype rolled up in front of the stage.

Passengers then began disembarking from the vehicle, which had doors in its mid-segment — not unlike a train.

The Robovan prototype's interiors were white. Passengers were seated in rows of seats facing one another. Television screens could be seen at the front and back of the vehicle.

"We want to change the look of the roads. The future should look like the future," Musk said of the Robovan's design.

Musk said the Robovan is meant for high-density usage, such as ferrying sports teams. During the presentation, he did not mention the Robovan's price or release date.

"This can carry up to 20 people and can also transport goods," Musk said on Thursday.

This isn't the first time Musk has talked about making a van before.

Musk published a blog post titled "Master Plan, Part Deux" in July 2016, in which he said that the EV industry needed to go beyond producing sedans and SUVs.

"In addition to consumer vehicles, there are two other types of electric vehicle needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport," Musk wrote then.

"Both are in the early stages of development at Tesla and should be ready for unveiling next year," he added.

In a follow-up post that was published in April 2023, titled "Master Plan Part 3," Tesla again teased the prospect of making a van.

Specifically, the plan included a table of vehicle types along with their Tesla-made equivalents. Notably, the term "TBD" was listed for two categories — "Commercial/Passenger Vans" and "Bus."

To be sure, Musk isn't the only one looking to cash in on mass autonomous transport.

In 2021, a Chinese autonomous driving company named WeRide unveiled its own self-driving cargo van, also called the "Robovan."

"It's an autonomous driving vehicle. If you put a seat there it can serve as a robotaxi car. If you put a cabinet there it is really a logistics car," WeRide CEO and founder Tony Han told CNBC in 2021.

In May, WeRide said it had obtained a license to conduct road tests for the vehicle in Guangzhou, China.

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