Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a well-known Dogecoin advocate, has also sparked interest in the DOGE community. At the launch of Tesla’s new self-driving car, the “Cybercab,” the Shiba Inu—the same breed as Dogecoin—appeared prominently, sending DOGE enthusiasts into a frenzy.
The Dogecoin Community Reacts
Dogecoin’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) took aim at Musk, referring to it looking like a “Shiba Inu taxi.” This subtle inclusion has sparked widespread speculation about Tesla’s possible plans to integrate Dogecoin into its payment systems.
Hello @elonmusk is it 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 often communicates, exclaimed: “Wait, did Elon just say we can buy a Tesla Cybercab with Dogecoin? He dropped ‘You’ll be able to buy it’ when Doge appeared in a Cybercab!”
Another influential person in the DOGE community, Sir Doge of Coin (@dogeofficialceo), noted the importance of this moment: “Tesla featured a Shiba Inu Doge in their Robotaxi unveiling video.” Community member Đoge420 (@dogecoine420) echoed the speculation, asking if DOGE would be accepted as payment for a new car. “Wait, did Elon just say we can buy a Tesla Cybercab with Dogecoin? He dropped “You’ll be able to buy it” as soon as Doge showed up in a Cybercab!” he wrote.
However, Astro (@Astro1062) highlighted the mystery of Tesla’s announcements: “Zero details from Tesla about how to pay for Cybercab fares as it may be available in 2026. working with Dogecoin. It’s very quiet.”
The new Tesla Cybercab
Elon Musk showed off the Cybercab while launching a Hollywood movie set, arriving in the car himself. He said that most of the time, cars “do nothing,” but if they were autonomous, they could be used five times, maybe ten times.
The Cybercab is a two-seater vehicle with scissor doors, without a steering wheel and accelerator pedal, emphasizing its fully autonomous capabilities. The interior reflects the minimalist design of Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y, with a large central touchscreen. Notably, the Cybercab is designed for flexible, wireless charging, eliminating the need for a traditional charging connection.
Although specific technical details such as range, battery size, or charging speed were not disclosed, Musk commented on an ambitious production timeline. Production is scheduled to begin in 2026, and the cars are expected to cost less than $30,000. Musk envisions a fleet of self-driving Tesla cabs accessible through a dedicated app, which aims to reduce the cost of transportation to $0.20 per mile—much less than the $1 per mile average for city buses.
In addition to the Cybercab, Musk unveiled the “Robovan,” an autonomous cab that can carry up to 20 people. The event also highlighted progress on Tesla’s robot project, Optimus. A group of these human-like robots made an appearance, showing off their skills. According to Musk, his company is making great progress with Optimus. He envisions these robots becoming part of society, with an expected cost of between $20,000 and $30,000.
Musk has long touted autonomous vehicles as the cornerstone of Tesla’s future, previously suggesting that Tesla owners could deploy their cars as part of a robotic network to make money.
DOGE Price Reaction Failed to Do Things
Although no official announcements have been made about Tesla accepting Dogecoin as payment for Cybercab or other services, the inclusion of the Shiba Inu mascot has dominated discussions about a possible merger between Tesla and cryptocurrency. Musk’s history of influencing Dogecoin’s value through social media schemes and endorsements adds weight to public speculation.
However, DOGE did not show a reasonable reaction. DOGE is up 1.4% in the last 24 hours, largely in line with the general sentiment of the crypto market. At press time, Dogecoin traded at $0.10845.
The featured image was created with DALL.E, a chart from TradingView.com