Tesla wants to register "Robotaxi" and "Robobus" as trademarks

Tesla wants to secure "Robotaxi" and "Robobus" as brand names. The electric car manufacturer's applications at the American Patent and Trademark Office USPTO cover both vehicles and transportation services. The term Robotaxi has become established in recent years as a designation for self-driving cars that transport people. Tesla's applications were submitted last week in connection with the presentation of a Robotaxi model and the concept for a self-driving bus for up to 20 people by company CEO Elon Musk. The first report on this came from the blog "Electrek," which specializes in electromobility.

Other Names in Presentation

Musk himself referred to the vehicles multiple times during the presentation as "Cybercab" and "Robovan." Currently, there is no application for "Cybercab" in the USPTO database. Meanwhile, the name "Robovan" was already secured in 2019 by the company Starship Technologies, which develops delivery robots that operate on sidewalks. Musk announced that Tesla's self-driving Robotaxi is expected to go into production in 2026. It will be available for private purchase at a price under $30,000. At the same time, he himself limited expectations, acknowledging his tendency to be overly optimistic with timelines. Investors were disappointed by the lack of concrete details on the plans, causing Tesla's stock to fall by around nine percent after the event.

Industry observers continue to doubt whether Tesla can achieve reliable autonomous driving solely with cameras. Competitors like Google's sister company Waymo use additional costly technologies such as laser radars, which scan the surroundings of vehicles. Waymo already operates a driverless Robotaxi service in four US cities and conducts more than 100,000 rides with passengers per week.