### Tesla's Robotaxi Dreams Poised for Key Reveal Amidst Expert Skepticism

Elon Musk has long envisioned a world where Tesla cars operate autonomously as robotaxis, and he is set to showcase the design of these self-driving cabs next week. Despite a decade filled with ambitious promises and missed deadlines, supporters of the company are eagerly awaiting the October 10 event, hoping that Musk will finally deliver on his bold claims.

Experts, however, are casting doubt on Tesla's progress toward full autonomy, pointing to the company's existing Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technologies as indicators. As Musk has made lofty predictions, competitors have surged ahead. Alphabet's Waymo is already running a commercial robotaxi service in various U.S. cities, achieving over 100,000 paid rides per week as of August. Amazon's Zoox began testing rides for employees in February 2023 with plans to roll out its own robotaxi service in the future. In China, companies like Pony.ai and Baidu are also operating commercial robotaxi services.

The potential market for robotaxis is substantial. A bullish forecast from Raymond James estimates $50 billion in annual robotaxi bookings by 2030. With the growth of electric vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S. showing signs of slowing, Tesla’s pivot to autonomy could be crucial for its future prospects.

The upcoming event will offer a glimpse into Tesla's advancements and whether they can keep pace with or surpass their competitors. Both investors and technology watchers will be keenly observing the revelations to gauge Tesla's trajectory in the emerging autonomous transport landscape.