Tesla's robotaxi to offer rides from June 22 tentatively; First in Austin
Tesla is planning to begin offering rides to the public on its self-driving robotaxis on June 22, said CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday, as investors and fans of the electric vehicle maker eagerly await rollout of the long-promised service.
Moving away from his plans to build a cheaper EV platform, Musk is now focusing on Tesla's future with self-driving vehicles, and much of the company's valuation depends on this vision itself. However, commercialising autonomous vehicles (AV) has faced many challenges, including safety concerns, tight regulations and soaring investments, with many being sceptical of Musk's plans.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk in an X post hinted at 'being paranoid' about the safety and saying that the date could shift. Musk was responding to a question from a user about public robotaxi rides. Musk also said starting June 28, Tesla vehicles will drive themselves to a customer's house from the end of the factory line.
Robotaxi's successful launch is crucial for Tesla as its sales have softened owing to the rising competition and backlash against Elon Musk for supporting far-right political views in Europe. Musk has promised that the paid service will begin in Austin starting with about 10-20 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate in a limited area and under remote human supervision.
Gradually the company plans to expand operations to other U.S. states later in the year, including California which has stringent AV regulations. Tesla has been testing its self-driving vehicles on public streets in Austin, Musk said last month.
Earlier on Tuesday, Musk re-posted a video on X that showed a Model Y making a turn at an Austin intersection with no human driver and the word "Robotaxi" written on it. According to Musk, the vehicles were using a new version of Tesla's advanced driver assistance software, called Full Self-Driving (FSD).
Till now, little is known about Tesla's robotaxi service, including where it will operate, the extent of remote supervision and how the public can use the service.
(With Reuters Inputs)
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