Tesla trademarks ‘Robobus’ and ‘Robotaxi’, offering clarity on autonomous vehicle names following last week’s unveiling.
Despite the lack of a pinpointed launch date last week, information about Tesla’s Robotaxi has remained scarce, with the vehicle’s name still shrouded in mystery.
Prior to the event, CEO Elon Musk described the concept as both a ‘Cybercab’ and a ‘Robotaxi’.
Additional phrases were used consistently throughout the event.
Tesla’s website features a swift and streamlined webpage detailing its latest vehicle, dubbed “Robotaxi” and “Robovan”, providing key information about these innovative offerings.
During the event, Musk consistently pronounced the ‘Robovan’ as “roo-boh-VIN”.
As a result, it appears that Now has unearthed recently submitted trademark applications from Tesla intended to provide insight into the naming conventions for their upcoming vehicles.
Tesla files two emblems for ‘Robotaxi’: one for electric cars and another for ride-sharing and general business purposes.
- The ROBOTAXI trademark registration intends to cover classes of land motor vehicles, including electric vehicles, motorcars, and structural components for these vehicles.
- The registration of ROBOTAXI trademark is intended to cover the classes of leasing motor vehicles; transportation and storage services for vehicles, passengers, and goods; journey preparation coordination, including time-based ride-sharing arrangements for individuals and groups; car rental, sharing, and supply services, featuring temporary vehicle use management, monitoring, and tracking.
Tesla pioneered a similar innovation with ROBOBUS:
- The ROBOBUS trademark seeks to cover a wide range of products, including land-based automobiles, electric vehicles, vehicles, buses, electrically powered buses, and their corresponding structural components, for classification purposes.
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ROBOBUS trademark registration covers classes including leasing of motor vehicles; vehicle transportation and storage services; passenger and goods transportation services; travel coordination for individuals and groups, particularly time-based ride-sharing arrangements for people and teams; car rental companies; car sharing companies, arranging non-permanent use of automobiles; logistics and supply chain management services, monitoring, managing, and tracking transportation of persons and supplies; conveyance rental and sharing services, including peer-to-peer car sharing and rental companies, and association with passenger transport by bus.
While it’s likely that ‘Robovan’ will colloquially become known as ‘Robobus’, it’s essential to formally acknowledge and respect the trademarked name.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla’s sudden unveil of new vehicles without a pre-established naming convention was surprisingly unconventional. Although autonomous vehicles may be referred to interchangeably as “Cybercabs” or “Robotaxis”, their formal designation remains under scrutiny, with Elon seemingly struggling to articulate the term “Robovan” during a recent event.
As a potential alternative, Tesla might be considering partnering with Robobus.
In all honesty, I harbor considerable skepticism regarding Tesla’s Robotaxi and Robobus offerings; their nomenclature seems to be a mere coincidence.
