Tesla designed a series of custom posters inspired by iconic, mostly sci-fi movies, adding a unique touch to their 2024 We, Robot event. Each poster was a reimagined version of a classic film infused with Tesla’s futuristic aesthetic. These posters weren’t just decorations—some captured Tesla’s vision of a tech-driven future, while others even showed off the Cybercab’s design before it was officially unveiled a few hours later.
Interestingly, despite the event’s title, there was no “I, Robot”-inspired poster. Given the event’s focus on AI and robotics, it would have been a fitting addition, reflecting the futuristic nature of the event.
We’ve compiled all the posters Tesla displayed at the event and even edited them for better quality. In this collection, we’ll walk through each poster and compare it to the original movie poster it was inspired by.
A.I. - E.T.
The A.I. Poster, based on E.T.
Not a Tesla App
This poster, inspired by E.T., depicts a robot reaching out to touch a human hand, mirroring the iconic moment in the original movie where an alien reaches out. In E.T., the image symbolizes the bond of friendship between humans and extraterrestrials; here, Tesla reinterprets it to reflect the theme of We, Robot—a celebration of connection and cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence. Instead of the original moon in the background, Tesla swaps it out for Mars.
Not a Tesla App
Robotaxi Driver - Taxi Driver
Not a Tesla App
This poster draws inspiration from the iconic neo-noir classic Taxi Driver. In Tesla’s rendition, Elon Musk appears as an Optimus robot, evoking imagery of a Robotaxi navigating the bustling streets of New York City. It’s a clever nod to both the film’s gritty urban setting and Tesla’s vision for autonomous vehicles.
Not a Tesla App
The Musk - The Mask
The Musk poster, based on The Mask.
Not a Tesla App
Inspired by the comedy superhero film The Mask, this poster features “Optimus Musk” as a playful yet formidable figure, ready to take on challenges while hiding behind a mask. While it may seem lighthearted on the surface, it subtly hints at the potential role Optimus robots could play in public service, perhaps even in support roles alongside law enforcement. Given that the Cybertruck has already been seen in a police configuration, the idea of Optimus units assisting in similar roles doesn’t feel too far-fetched.
Not a Tesla App
My Neighbor Optimus - My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Optimus poster, based onMy Neighbor Totoro
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My Neighbor Totoro, the beloved Japanese animated film from Studio Ghibli, explores themes of environmentalism through traditional Japanese folklore and spirit characters. This particular poster stands out as one of our favorites, as it beautifully connects to Tesla’s core mission—accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Just as Totoro celebrates a harmonious relationship with nature, Tesla’s vision emphasizes sustainability and environmental stewardship, making this homage both fitting and inspiring.
Not a Tesla App
Bots - Jaws
Not a Tesla App
This poster is much simpler, and unfortunately, we couldn’t find a higher-quality shot of the poster. However, Tesla cleverly reimagines the iconic Jaws poster by replacing the movie title with “Bots”, depicting a shark looming over an unsuspecting Optimus swimming in the water.
Not a Tesla App
Master Plan Part IV - Back to the Future
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This one, in Back to the Future font, says Master Plan - Part IV - along with a play on the icon movie quote - “Drivers? Where we’re going, we don’t need drivers.”
The film uses the license plate “Outta Time,” which Tesla cleverly swapped out for “Outagas”.
Tesla and Elon’s last big plan was Master Plan 3. We’re excited to see when Master Plan IV arrives in full, and we’ll break it down for you when it does.
Not a Tesla App
Mad Musk - Mad Max
Not a Tesla App
In a creative twist on the iconic Mad Max movie poster, Tesla reimagines the dystopian world with a futuristic edge. Titled Mad Musk, the poster features Tesla’s Cybercab in the background and Optimus/Musk as Max. Tesla replaced the original weapon with Tesla’s NACS charger. Tesla was not afraid to show off the Cybercab’s design before the official keynote, as this poster also leaked the design of the autonomous taxi.
Not a Tesla App
Gasbusters - Ghostbusters
Not a Tesla App
This Tesla poster takes inspiration from the Ghostbusters movie, though after sifting through countless images, it’s unclear which specific Ghostbusters poster it directly references. The closest we could find was Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire. Regardless, the design creatively reimagines the theme, swapping “Ghostbusters” with “Gasbusters” to highlight the shift away from gas.
The poster features Tesla’s robotaxi, outfitted with emergency lights mounted on the roof, replacing the iconic Ecto-1 vehicle. In a fun twist, instead of the classic Ecto-1 license plate, the robotaxi proudly displays “Robo-1.”
Not a Tesla App
Optimus - Scarface
Not a Tesla App
This poster is a simpler version of the classic Scarface movie. It features Optimus as Tony Montana against the classic black-and-white background. Along the left side, it reads, “Say hello to our little friend...”
Not a Tesla App
While not all of these posters were profoundly deep, they were undeniably cool. These posters are fantastic tributes to cult classics and to our favorite company, Tesla. It would be a missed opportunity if Tesla didn’t offer some of these posters for sale in the future.
If we missed any posters or you have a higher-quality version of any of them, please let us know.
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Tesla appears to be preparing to expand its Robotaxi geofence in Austin, Texas, with numerous engineering vehicles taking to the road. One of the most interesting sights, between the short and tall LiDAR rigs, was a Cybertruck validation vehicle, which we don’t often see.
Tesla’s expansion is moving the Robotaxi Network into downtown Austin, a dense urban environment that is currently outside the geofence. It appears Tesla is content with the latest builds of Robotaxi FSD and is ready to take on urban traffic.
The inclusion of a Cybertruck in the validation fleet is noteworthy, as the rest of the vehicles are Model Ys. This suggests that Tesla may be addressing two challenges simultaneously: expanding its service area while also addressing the FSD gap between the Cybertruck and other HW4 Tesla vehicles.
Tesla Validating Downtown Austin before expanding the Robotaxi geo-fence area. pic.twitter.com/ylFATtjcDi
Recent sightings have shown a fleet of Tesla vehicles, equipped with rooftop validation sensor rigs, running routes throughout downtown Austin and across the South Congress Bridge. While these rigs include LiDAR, it’s not a sign that Tesla is abandoning its vision-only approach.
Instead, Tesla uses the high-fidelity data from the LiDAR as a ground truth measurement to validate and improve the performance of its cameras. In short, it essentially uses the LiDAR measurements as the actual distances and then compares the distances determined in vision-only to the LiDAR measurements. This allows Tesla to tweak and improve its vision system without needing LiDAR.
This data collection in a new, complex environment right outside the Robotaxi geofence is an indicator that plans to expand the geofence. Tesla has previously indicated that they intend to roll out more vehicles and expand the geofence slowly. Given that their operational envelope includes the entire Austin Metro Area, we can expect more locations to open up gradually.
Once they expand the operational radius to include downtown Austin, they will likely also have to considerably increase the number of Robotaxis active in the fleet at any given time. Early-access riders are already saying that the wait time for a Robotaxi is too long, with them sometimes having to wait 15 minutes to be picked up.
With a larger service area, we expect Tesla to also increase the number of vehicles and the number of invited riders to try out the service.
After all, Tesla’s goal is to expand the Robotaxi Network to multiple cities within the United States by the end of 2025. Tesla has already been running an employees-only program in California, and we’ve seen validation vehicles as far away as Boston and New Jersey, on the other side of the country.
Cyber FSD Lagging Behind
One of the most significant details from these recent sightings is the presence of a Cybertruck. Cybertruck’s FSD builds have famously lagged behind the builds available on the rest of Tesla’s HW4 fleet. Key features that were expected never fully materialized for the Cybertruck, and the list of missing features is quite extensive.
Start FSD from Park
Improved Controller
Reverse on FSD
Actually Smart Summon
It may not look like a lot, but if you drive a Cybertruck on FSD and then hop in any of the rest of Tesla’s HW4 vehicles, you’ll notice a distinct difference. This is especially evident on highways, where the Cybertruck tends to drift out of the lane, often crossing over the lane markings.
Tesla was testing parts of Downtown Austin, TX with this Cybertruck which had a massive roof rack, and sensors.
We previously released an exclusive mentioning that a well-positioned internal source confirmed with us that a new FSD build for the Cybertruck was upcoming, but we never ended up receiving that particular build, only a point release to V13.2.9. The AI team’s focus had clearly shifted to getting the latest Robotaxi builds running and validated, and while a flagship, the Cybertruck fleet was small and new, and really a secondary task.
The Cybertruck’s larger size, steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering, and different camera placements likely present a bigger set of challenges for FSD. Deploying it now as a validation vehicle in a complex environment like downtown Austin suggests that Tesla is finally gathering the specific data needed to bring the Cybertruck’s capabilities up to par. This focused effort is likely the necessary step to refine FSD’s handling of the Cybertruck before they begin rolling out new public builds.
When?
Once Tesla’s validation is complete, we can probably expect the Robotaxi Network to expand its borders for the first time in the coming days or weeks. However, we’ll likely see more signs of the expansion, such as Robotaxi vehicles driving themselves around the area, before the expansion actually happens.
Hopefully, the Cybertruck will also learn from its older siblings and receive the rest of its much-needed FSD features, alongside an FSD update for the entire fleet.
Tesla is rolling out a fairly big update for its iOS and early-access-only Robotaxi app, delivering a suite of improvements that address user feedback from the initial launch last month. The update improves the user experience with increased flexibility, more information, and overall design polish.
The most prominent feature in this update is that Tesla now allows you to adjust your pickup location. Once a Robotaxi arrives at your pickup location, you have 15 minutes to start the ride. The app will now display the remaining time your Robotaxi will wait for you, counting down from 15:00. The wait time is also shown in the iOS Live Activity if your phone is on the lock screen.
How Adjustable Pickups Work
We previously speculated that Tesla had predetermined pickup locations, as the pickup location wasn’t always where the user was. Now, with the ability to adjust the pickup location, we can clearly see that Tesla has specific locations where users can be picked up.
Rather than allowing users to drop a pin anywhere on the map, the new feature works by having the user drag the map to their desired area. The app then presents a list of nearby, predetermined locations to choose from. Once a user selects a spot from this curated list, they hit “Confirm.” The pickup site can also be changed while the vehicle is en route.
This specific implementation raises an interesting question: Why limit users to predetermined spots? The answer likely lies in how Tesla utilizes fleet data to improve its service.
Here is the new Tesla Robotaxi pickup location adjustment feature.
While the app is still only available on iOS through Apple’s TestFlight program, invited users can download and update the app.
Tesla included these release notes in update 25.7.0 of the Robotaxi app:
You can now adjust pickup location
Display the remaining wait time at pickup in the app and Live Activity
Design improvements
Bug fixes and stability improvements
Nic Cruz Patane
Why Predetermined Pick Up Spots?
The use of predetermined pickup points is less of a limitation and more of a feature. These curated locations are almost certainly spots that Tesla’s fleet data has identified as optimal and safe for an autonomous vehicle to perform a pickup or drop-off.
This suggests that Tesla is methodically “mapping” its service area not just for calibration and validation of FSD builds but also to help perform the first and last 50-foot interactions that are critical to a safe and smooth ride-hailing experience.
An optimal pickup point likely has several key characteristics identified by the fleet, including:
A safe and clear pull-away area away from traffic
Good visibility for cameras, free of obstructions
Easy entry and exit paths for an autonomous vehicle
This change to pick-up locations reveals how Tesla’s Robotaxi Network is more than just Unsupervised FSD. There are a lot of moving parts, many of which Tesla recently implemented, and others that likely still need to be implemented, such as automated charging.
Frequent Updates
This latest update delivers a much-needed feature for adjusting pickup locations, but it also gives us a view into exactly what Tesla is doing with all the data it is collecting with its validation vehicles rolling around Austin, alongside its Robotaxi fleet.
Tesla is quickly iterating on its app and presumably the vehicle’s software to build a reliable and predictable network, using data to perfect every aspect of the experience, from the moment you hail the ride to the moment you step out of the car.
![Tesla Updates Robotaxi App: Adds Adjustable Pick Up Locations, Shows Wait Time and More [VIDEO]](https://www.notateslaapp.com/img/containers/article_images/tesla-app/robotaxi-app/25-7-0/robotaxi-app-25.7.0.webp/4ac9ed40be870cfcf6e851fce21c43b9/robotaxi-app-25.7.0.jpg)
