Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a well-known advocate for Dogecoin, has once again caused excitement within the DOGE community. During the unveiling of Tesla’s new autonomous vehicle, the ‘Cybercab’, a Shiba Inu – the breed synonymous with Dogecoin – was prominently featured, sending DOGE enthusiasts into a frenzy.
Dogecoin community responds
The official Dogecoin account on X (formerly Twitter) addressed Musk directly, referring to its appearance as “a Shiba Inu taxi.” This subtle addition has sparked widespread speculation about Tesla’s possible plans to integrate Dogecoin into its payment systems.
Hi @elonmusk Is that a Shiba Inur taxi? pic.twitter.com/ihfktgc4ds
— Dogecoin (@dogecoin) October 11, 2024
Prominent members of the Dogecoin community took to X to express their excitement. DogeDesigner (@cb_doge), with whom Musk regularly collaborates, exclaimed: “Wait, did Elon just say we can buy a Tesla Cybercab with Dogecoin? He dropped “You can buy one” right as Doge showed up in the Cybercab!
Another influential figure in the DOGE community, Sir Doge of the Coin (@dogeofficialceo), noted the importance of the moment: “Tesla showcased a Shiba Inu Doge in their Robotaxi reveal video.” Community member Đoge420 (@dogecoine420) echoed the speculationquestioning whether DOGE would be accepted as payment for the new vehicle. “Wait, did Elon just say we can buy a Tesla Cybercab with Dogecoin? He dropped “You can buy one” right as Doge showed up in the Cybercab! she wrote.
Nevertheless, Astro (@Astro1062) marked the puzzling nature of Tesla’s announcements: “Zero information from Tesla on how to pay for Cybercab rides as it may be available in 2026. No information from X on XPayments and zero information from Starlink on their partnership with Dogecoin. It’s too quiet.”
The new Tesla Cybercab
Elon Musk showed the Cybercab during a presentation on a Hollywood film set and arrived in the vehicle himself. He argued that cars usually “just don’t do anything,” but if they were autonomous they could be used five times more, perhaps ten times more.
The Cybercab is a two-seater vehicle with scissor doors, without a steering wheel or accelerator pedal, highlighting its fully autonomous capabilities. The interior reflects the minimalist design of Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y, with a large central touchscreen. The Cybercab is specifically designed for inductive, wireless charging, making a traditional charging connection unnecessary.
While specific technical details such as range, battery size or charging speed were not disclosed, Musk hinted at an ambitious production timeline. Production is expected to begin in 2026, with the vehicles expected to cost less than $30,000. Musk is considering operating a fleet of self-driving Tesla cabs accessed through a special app, with the aim of reducing transportation costs to $0.20 per mile – significantly lower than the $1 per mile average for city buses.
In addition to the Cybercab, Musk unveiled the ‘Robovan’, an autonomous minibus that can carry up to twenty passengers. The event also highlighted progress in Tesla’s humanoid robot project, Optimus. A group of these humanoid robots appeared and demonstrated their abilities. According to Musk, his company has made a lot of progress with Optimus. He predicts that these robots will become an integral part of society, with an expected cost of between $20,000 and $30,000.
Musk has long touted autonomous vehicles as a cornerstone of Tesla’s future, previously suggesting that Tesla owners could deploy their cars as part of a robotaxi network to generate revenue.
DOGE price reaction remains absent
While no official announcements have been made about Tesla accepting Dogecoin as payment for the Cybercab or other services, the inclusion of the Shiba Inu mascot has reignited discussions about possible integrations. between Tesla and the cryptocurrency. Musk’s history of influencing Dogecoin’s value through hints and endorsements on social media adds weight to the community’s speculation.
However, the DOGE has not shown any meaningful response. DOGE is up 1.4% over the past 24 hours, largely in line with the overall trend sentiment on the crypto market. At the time of writing, Dogecoin was trading at $0.10845.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com