A patent filed by Tesla unveils an automated and highly sophisticated disinfection system. This technology could be very useful on board the future autonomous shuttle.
Tesla will unveil its robotaxi project in a few weeks. Elon Musk has promised to present his autonomous shuttle on August 8. Not much is known about this future model yet, except for some details revealed gradually. For example, we recently got a glimpse of the future robotaxi seats in a video published by Tesla. More recently, Tweetos Seti Park revealed a patent filed by Tesla that could be related to this future autonomous vehicle.
Tesla is Working on a Disinfection System for the Robotaxi
The WO2023/163943A1 patent shows that the brand is developing a system capable of automatically disinfecting an enclosed space, particularly the interior of a vehicle. This technology could be very useful on a taxi shared by multiple users throughout the day. The core of this patent involves detecting “ambient data” such as temperature, humidity, or the presence of pathogens. Based on the analyzed data, the system can “cleanse the air.”
Tesla’s patent WO2023/163943A1 presents a system and method for automatically sanitizing enclosed spaces, particularly vehicle interiors, that can be shared by multiple people.
The core of this patent is detecting the current environmental conditions of the… pic.twitter.com/Mh5Q6oITak
— SETI Park (@seti_park) June 30, 2024
The technology presented in this patent seems capable of creating “customized sanitation routines in the absence of personnel.” There is also talk of an adaptive system based on external weather conditions or vehicle usage history. This air sanitation technology could also be used for existing models like the Model 3 or Model Y. However, it is highly likely to play a role in Tesla’s promised future robotaxi service.
If this is the case, it will confirm that Tesla has been working on its robotaxi for many months. The patent was officially published on August 31, 2023, and the brand filed it as early as February 21, 2023. However, as surprises are not uncommon with Elon Musk, it is better to wait until August 8 before speculating too much about this future model.