It sure seems like the Optimus robots at Tesla’s event were under human control
We didn’t learn much new from Tesla’s Robotaxi event last night, but one piece of information we were looking forward to was a little information on Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot. And we got some, but it’s maybe a little less flattering to Tesla than some might have liked.
After unveiling the Robotaxi/Cybercab and Robovan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk went on to give us a little bit of information on the Optimus humanoid robot that the company has been working on.
Musk mentioned “we started up with someone in a robot suit, and then we’ve progressed dramatically year after year” as several robots walked out in front of the crowd.
He referred to these as “your own personal R2D2 C3-PO,” and that in the long term, these robots would cost less than a car – specifically, ~$20k-$30k. A video also described them as an “autonomous assistant, humanoid friend” which could be used for basically any task you can think of.
Musk said that Optimus would be “the biggest product of any kind, ever” and figured everyone on Earth would want one or two of them, which is language he has used before (nevermind that most of the 8 billion people on Earth do not have the wealth to afford one new car, much less two). He also said that it would result in an “age of abundance” where the cost of everything would drop dramatically.
But beyond all that, Tesla took this event as an opportunity to debut Optimus in front of – and among – a live audience. Musk said:
One of the things we wanted to show tonight was that Optimus is not a canned video, it’s not walled-off. The Optimus robots will walk among you. Please be nice to the Optimus robots. So you’ll be able to walk right up to them… and they’ll serve drinks at the bar, and you’ll directly… I mean it’s a wild experience just to have humanoid robots and they’re there, just in front of you.
He then ended his speech by throwing to a group of humanoid robots dancing in a gazebo (not unlike a video made by Honda ten years ago…), and attendees were indeed able to interact with these robots in person.
Tesla’s event stream continued by showing videos of the party, including some videos of guests interacting with robots. The robots waved, handed out goodie bags, served drinks, posed for photos, walked through the crowd, and even played rock paper scissors (though, again, not as well as this robot with a 100% winrate from 12 years ago).
The robots did all have a Tesla employee “minder” watching them closely, but visibly holding some sort of signaling device in their hand. In the video, you can see one of the employees operating this device.
The official Tesla video (which had no audio, as music was playing over it) also showed a few robots serving drinks, though these were not custom mixed drinks, merely two choices of pre-mixed drinks served from beer taps. The robots seemed to do so successfully enough, though they were somewhat wobbly while serving the drinks (see here), which seemed odd – as if the robots weren’t all that great at balancing themselves, or their motions weren’t properly damped or something.
But then, attendees started posting videos from the event, and something seemed… off.
There is one widely-shared video of an employee seeming to trigger Musk’s Robotaxi departure from a phone – but that’s understandable enough, given that Waymo’s currently-operating Level 4 taxis interface with the rider’s phone to unlock the car and start a ride as well, and it makes sense from a stage management perspective of keeping the event running on cue (albeit 40+ minutes late).
But the stranger videos were of direct interactions with the Optimus robots that “walked among us” in the crowd.
It turns out the robots each had a voice and could be talked to. So, you could make a drink order, or even just have a conversation with the robots that were walking the crowd.
What Tesla is doing with Optimus is insane. It’s literally the robot from iRobot starring Will Smith. #WeRobot pic.twitter.com/zM9pkkyOCu
— Austin (@AustinPlanet) October 11, 2024
In conversation, the robots were impressively realistic in their conversational tone, responding quickly and with natural speech. We’ve seen some interesting developments in this respect from ChatGPT 4o, with natural intonation, but you can still tell that there’s something robotic going on there.
But perhaps they were too impressive, because these conversations certainly seem to have a human on the other side of them.
He didn’t even ask for a tip!@Tesla_Optimus #teslabot #werobot pic.twitter.com/4r0ONZSk11
— Kim Java (@ItsKimJava) October 11, 2024
Each of the robots we’ve seen had a different voice, and a different accent – though mostly California or Texas accents, the two locations where Tesla has significant presence. One even reportedly spoke Spanish, impressing one attendee, though conversational Spanish is also not particularly uncommon in the areas where Tesla operates, so the employee behind the curtain could well just be bilingual.
This video, in particular, of a robot talking about the geography of the Bay Area, is a fun one. Not only does the robot make a very human error when it asks whether the attendee lives in the “Santa Clarita” area near San Jose (it’s Santa Clara – Santa Clarita is in Southern California, not the Bay Area), it also hears a non-standard pronunciation “Los Gatos” and then responds with a more common one.
One tech evangelist in attendance, Robert Scoble, says that he talked to an engineer at the event who told him that Optimus was running on AI while walking through the crowd, but that otherwise there was human remote assistance.
I talked with an engineer.
When it walked that is AI running Optimus.
It is real impressive they brought so many out in crowds at @tesla’s event. https://t.co/CtmCKPrL4T
— Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) October 11, 2024
Indeed, most observers seem to think that these was some level of remote operation going on during the event. Even Adam Jonas, Morgan Stanley’s analyst who covers Tesla and is usually very bullish on everything that Tesla announces, said in a note this morning that: “It is our understanding that these robots were not operating entirely autonomously – but relied on tele-ops (human intervention) so it was more a demonstration of degrees of freedom and agility.”
The upshot of all of this is that Tesla, as is often the case, seems to be playing fast and loose with the truth.
While it may have reasonably impressive dexterity, and remote-operated robots could have some real uses (for example, putting remote-operated robots into dangerous situations where human-like limbs and manipulation would nevertheless be useful), Tesla instead decided to obscure the real information about the technology they were showcasing, suggesting that AI-driven robots would walk among the crowd when really they were relying on some amount of remote operation.
And that just leaves a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth – or at least, in the mouths of those whose information comes from somewhere other than the heavily curated twitter algorithm.
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Mitsubishi is partnering with Ample and Yamoto Transports to deploy an innovative new battery swap network for electric cars in its Japanese home market — but it’s not just for electric cars. Mitsubishi Fuso commercial trucks are getting in on the action, too!
Despite a number of early EV adopters with an overdeveloped concept of ownership, battery swap technology has proven to be both extremely effective and extremely positive to the overall EV ownership experience. And when you see how simple it is to add hundreds of miles of driving in just 100 seconds — quicker, in many cases, than pumping a tank of liquid fuel into an ICE-powered car — you might come around, yourself.
That seems to be what Mitsubishi thinks, anyway, and they’re hoping they’ll be your go-to choice when it’s time to electrify your regional and last-mile commercial delivery fleet(s) by launching a multi-year pilot program to deploy more than 150 battery-swappable commercial electric vehicles and 14 modular battery swapping stations across Tokyo, where the company plans to showcase its “five minute charging” tech in full view of hundreds of commercial fleets and, crucially, the executives of the companies that own and manage them.
A truck like the Mitsubishi eCanter typically requires a full night of AC charging to top off its batteries, and at least an hour or two on DC charging in Japan, according to Fuso. This joint pilot by Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and Ample aims to circumvent this issue of forced downtime with its swappable batteries, supporting vehicle uptime by delivering a full charge within minutes. The move is meant to encourage the transport industry’s EV shift while creating a depository of stored energy that can be deployed to the grid in the event of a natural disaster — something Mitsubishi in Japan has been working on for years.
Trucks like the eCanter already serve a number of roles throughout the global truck market, including municipal waste collection, regional delivery support, and more.
The pilot is backed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Technology Development Support Project for Promoting New Energy,” with local delivery operator Yamato Transport testing swappable EVs for delivery operations on both its eCanter light-duty trucks and Mitsubishi Minicab kei-class electric vans.
Electrek’s Take
Electrifying the commercial truck fleet is a key part of decarbonizing city truck fleets – not just here in the US, but around the world. I called the eCanter, “a great product for moving stuff around densely packed city streets,” and eliminating the corporate fear of EV charging in the wild just makes it an even better product for that purpose.
Here’s hoping we see more “right size” electric solutions like this one (and more battery swapping tech) in small towns and tight urban environments stateside somewhat sooner than later.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Mitsubishi, Fuso.
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After becoming the first European brand to offer fully electric versions of every model it sells — and at the same price as the ICE models — Opel is going even further, with a new, AWD electric SUV that should give American Jeep fans hope for a new electric Cherokee!
Now part of the Stellantis, rather than GM portfolio of brands, Rüsselsheim-based Opel showed off the first official pictures of its new Opel Grandland Electric AWD — the company’s first all-electric SUV to feature the “Blitz” performance emblem and all-wheel drive.
“Our top-of-the-range Grandland SUV is a milestone for Opel,” says Opel CEO Florian Huettl. “Customers already have a choice of battery-electric drive, plug-in hybrid and hybrid with 48-volt technology. We are now offering even more choice with the Grandland Electric AWD and thus ensuring that our customers can enjoy maximum efficiency and safety in diverse weather and road conditions, combined with plenty of driving fun.”
Stellantis gets it right in Europe
Opel says its new, AWD Grandland is its most aerodynamically efficient model yet, with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.278. That efficiency, paired with similarly efficient electric motors and a 73 kWh li-ion NMC battery give the electric crossover a 501 km (311 mile) WLTP range, while a combined 325 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque should make for suitably spirited acceleration to go along with all that green cred.
Suspension and handling, too, are promised to deliver on what Opel claims is a “typical” Teutonic driving experience in the Grandland AWD:
Both driving pleasure and comfort are further emphasized by dampers with frequency selective damping technology. This unique technology comes as standard on the Grandland Electric AWD and incorporates a second hydraulic circuit in the damper chamber to mechanically adapt the damping force in relation to the frequency. Depending on the situation, road surface conditions and driving style, it enables different damping characteristics for comfortable gliding at high frequencies – i.e. with short impacts such as on cobblestones or a manhole cover – as well as for a sporty, ambitious driving style with more direct contact with the road at low frequencies. The Grandland reacts even more immediately and directly to any command from the driver and, as is typical for Opel, remains stable when braking, cornering and at high speeds on the Autobahn.
OPEL PRESS RELEASE
The Opel Grandland Electric AWD ships with four standard drive modes that include “normal,” eco, sport, and 4WD mode, which simulates locking axles and true 4×4 off-road performance. The ESP and traction control systems adopt specific settings to enhance grip in 4WD mode as well, and maximum power and torque are instantly available.
Electrek’s Take
As you maybe could tell by now, feeding European Stellantis EVs into an AI image generator and asking it to “make them into Jeeps” is one of my new favorite things to do. This new Opel is no different, and the resulting image (above) paired with the models’ stated specs give me hope that the next wave of Jeep EVs will do better than the Wagoneer S at attracting buyers. All they really need, I think, is the right name — and the right price, to be winners.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Opel.
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Like a 90s “gifted” kid that was supposed to be a lot of things, the electric Jeep Wagoneer S never really found its place — but with dealers discounting the Jeep brands forward-looking flagship by nearly $25,000, it might be time to give the go-fast Wagoneer S a second look.
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
Whether we’re talking about Mercedes-Benz, Cerberus, Fiat, or even Enzo Ferrari, outsiders have labeled Jeep as a potentially premium brand that could, “if managed properly,” command luxury-level prices all over the globe. That hasn’t happened, and Stellantis is just the latest in a long line of companies to sink massive capital into the brand only to realize that people will not, in fact, spend Mercedes money on a Jeep.
That said, the Jeep Wagoneer S is not a bad car (and neither is its totally different, hideously massive, ICE-powered Wagoneer sibling, frankly). Built on the same Stellantis STLA Large vehicle platform that underpins the sporty Charger Daytona EVs, the confusingly-named Wagoneer S packs dual electric motors putting out almost 600 hp. That’s good enough to scoot the ‘ute 0 to 60 mph in a stomach-turning 3.5 seconds and enough, on paper, to convince Stellantis executives that they had developed a real, market-ready alternative to the Tesla Model Y.
With the wrong name and a sky-high starting price of $66,995 (not including the $1,795 destination fee), however, that demand didn’t materialize, leaving the Wagoneer S languishing on dealer lots across the country.
That could be about to change, however, thanks to big discounts on Wagoneer S being reported at CDJR dealers in several states, according to our friends at the Car Dealership Guy podcast.
- Jimmy Britt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Georgia, has a Wagoneer S with an MSRP of $67,590 listed at $43,104 ($24,486 off)
- In Florida, Taverna Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat has a $67,590 Wagoneer S slashed to $43,138 ($24,452 off)
- Chris Nikel Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat in Oklahoma has a Wagoneer S listed for $43,425 ($24,165 off)
“Stellantis bet big on electric versions of iconic American brands like Jeep and Dodge, but consumers aren’t buying the premise,” writes CDG’s Marcus Amick. “(Stellantis’ dealer body) is now stuck with expensive EVs that need huge discounts to move, eating into already thin margins while competitors focus on [more] profitable gas-powered vehicles.”
All of which is to say: if you’ve found yourself drawn to the Jeep Wagoneer S, but couldn’t quite stomach the $70,000+ window stickers, you might want to check in with your local Jeep dealer and see how you feel about it at a JCPenneys-like 30% off!
Jeep Wagoneer S gallery
SOURCES | IMAGES: Car Dealership Guy, CarScoops, and CarsDirect.
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