Standing beside a metallic sleek vehicle that looked like it was pulled out of a futuristic motion picture, I had no idea how to open the door - until someone pointed out a small button on the side. One press, and the door slid open. Inside, another button closed it. That was my first taste of what“autonomous” really means - everything, down to the doors, works with a tap.

Tensor's Robocar - officially called Tensor - will hit UAE roads for commercial sale in the second half of 2026, said Tensor's chief financial officer, Eric O'Dell.“We're very excited to bring this car to market here in the UAE,” he added.

Tensor was founded in 2016 after years of working with other automakers on retrofitted autonomous systems.“We felt that it was important to develop our own purpose-built car built for autonomy,” explained the CFO.“For autonomy to scale properly, it ought to be done with a purpose-built vehicle designed specifically to be driven autonomously.”

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The car on exhibit at DriftX - part of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Week at Yas Marina Circuit featuring smart and autonomous urban mobility tech -is the company's first production model, which O'Dell described as“a larger vehicle to incorporate all the technology, because we have a supercomputer inside.”

Tensor features

The car features five LIDAR units -“one in the middle, two on the sides, one on top, and one at the back” - along with 37 cameras and more than 100 sensors.

Each sensor has its own cleaning system:“There's a wiper that will clean this camera,” O'Dell demonstrated, pointing to the front.“There are cleansing units for each LIDAR, so when you're encountering rain, fog, or other elements, the vehicle will clean those features to ensure it can be driven safely.”

The system is powered by eight NVIDIA Thor chips, which O'Dell called“the most powerful automotive-grade supercomputer ever built into a car.”

The vehicle has been“tested in the UAE under extreme heat conditions” and“will operate well in wet rain, fog, and dust.” Its sensors have redundancy -“so if, for example, there's a fog and the cameras can't see through the fog, the LIDAR actually can.” The Tensor even has run-flat tyres, allowing it to continue driving safely even after a puncture.

Inside, the experience feels more like a first-class lounge than a cockpit.“We have air suspension, so it rides well,” O'Dell explained.“When you sit inside, you immediately feel like you're part of a luxury experience.”

In front of me, a giant tablet glowed on the dashboard. O'Dell tapped a button - and the steering wheel folded away.“This is the world's first foldable steering wheel,” he said.“When you're ready for the vehicle to drive you, the pedals retract on the bottom to give you more legroom, and the tablet slides over. That enables the car owner to be a passenger - eyes off, hands off, mind off.”

You can also take control anytime“at the touch of a button,” he added -“as long as you're within a perimeter where autonomous driving is permitted.”

Passengers can control everything - from destination to entertainment - through the in-car screen or a mobile app.“You can sit in the back and use the iPhone app to control where it goes,” O'Dell said. The screen can even be used for FaceTime, Zoom calls, or streaming apps like Netflix and Spotify.

Tensor describes the car as a“luxury price point,” higher than a Tesla, with models aimed at personal owners as well as fleets. The company has already signed a deal with Lyft to supply 300 cars for ride-hailing use in other markets. But O'Dell emphasised that the UAE comes first:“We're starting here.”

Asked why people would want an autonomous car, he said:“People right now are looking for convenience. They want the flexibility to either drive or be driven... there are times when you want to be productive or just relax and disengage from the road, and this will allow you to do it.”

'Safer than a human'

O'Dell insists the Tensor is“the safest vehicle on the road” - not just because of its sensors, but because of what it can do.“It can see beyond what humans can,” he said.“Our proprietary LIDAR can see a black tyre on the road 300 metres in front. And with all the cameras around, there's redundancy so that more than one sensor is watching the same thing.”

If the car is in driver mode, responsibility lies with the driver.“But if it's in autonomous mode, we're responsible with our insurance partners,” he added.“We're so confident in the autonomy system that we're willing to underwrite that risk.”

As I stepped out - after remembering which button to press - it felt like walking out of the future.

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