Tesla May Offer You A Robotaxi Instead Of A Service Loaner

Forget rental cars or Uber credits, Tesla wants to send you home in a robotaxi.

Tesla Robotaxi Cell Testing Hero

Photo by: Tesla

Rob Stumpf

By: Rob Stumpf

Sep 9, at 11:29am ET

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New code in the latest Tesla app suggests that the automaker is getting ready to update the way it provides service loaners to some drivers.
Hidden in the app are references to robotaxi rides being offered to customers instead of dedicated service loaners.
This could not save Tesla money, but also provide a smarter way for customers to drop off and pick up their cars for service.

Tesla's history with service loaners has been a bit rocky. Many dealerships today use it as an opportunity to provide better customer service or even up-sell new models. I mean, what better way to get a customer to upgrade to a refreshed car or more expensive model than put them in the drivers seat of a new car?

Over time, Tesla eventually augmented its loaner fleet with Uber credits, or just sent customers on their way while their car is was in the shop. But now, the automaker has a better idea: robotaxis.

Tesla Cybercab Robotaxi

Photo by: Tesla

Buried in Tesla latest app, according to Not A Tesla App, is code that suggests it's getting ready to offer robotaxi loaners to customers who bring their vehicles in for service.

It's kind of a smart idea, honestly. Rather than tie up an entire car for a whole day, just send a robotaxi to the customer for just the time that they need it. Tesla already knows where the customer is, where their car is, how long the appointment should take, and when the customer needs transportation to-and-from the service center.

When the robotaxi isn't in use by the customer, it could potentially service other paid riders in the meantime to rake in revenue rather than sit idle. It also means that Tesla doesn't have to fork over cash to Uber or appease a customer with service credits because they can't provide a car.

And—perhaps most important to Tesla—it's a way to flex its autonomous driving prowess.

Not A Tesla App reports that there are a few other references tucked away in the code that suggest Tesla could offer even more methods of transportation for loaners:

sv_transport_robotaxi (Robotaxi)
sv_transport_paid_loaner (Paid Loaner)
sv_transport_e_bike (E-Bike)
sv_transport_bolt (Bolt)

This shows that Tesla could be mulling around the idea of offering other methods of loaners, like an e-bike or whatever a Bolt might be (we really doubt it means a Chevy Bolt).

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Of course, this is all long-term thinking that might never see the light of day. And if it does, the rollout certainly won't be instantaneous.

Tesla's robotaxis aren't approved for autonomous use everywhere just yet. In some markets, AVs still require safety drivers and many others aren't proven out to handle a driverless fleet at all. But in large metropolitan areas where robotaxis are king (think Austin, the Bay Area, and other AV hot spots across the U.S.), it feels like a shoo-in.

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