Tesla reportedly targets June 12 robotaxi service launch as testing gets started in Austin
Austinites may soon be able to hop in a Tesla robotaxi, as Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker targets a possible June 12 launch and has already started testing its driverless Model Y vehicles in the city.
Musk posted on his social media site X on Thursday, saying Tesla has already started testing self-driving Model Y cars in Austin over the past several days. The company previously promised a June start date for testing.
Musk announced initial plans to bring a paid raid-hailing service, powered by Tesla's robotaxis, to Austin this year. That date appears to be sooner rather than later, as Bloomberg reported that the Austin-based automaker is prepping for a June 12 robotaxi launch, although the date could change.
Some reports earlier this month indicated that Tesla had not started testing without drivers as of mid-May.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wrote in a May 8 letter to Tesla that the agency, "would like to gather additional information about Tesla's development of technologies for use in 'robotaxi' vehicles to understand how Tesla plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for use on public roads."
This data is key for public safety and for approval from NHTSA.
The Model Y robotaxi vehicles are the same as those sold to the public. Tesla has faced significant delays with the production of a newer, more affordable version.
Neither Tesla nor Musk has provided explicit details about how Tesla's rideshare service will operate.
Musk unveiled the self-driving Cybercab robotaxi models last October at his company's "We, Robot" event. The two-door models feature no steering wheels, gas pedals, or brake pedals. At the event, Musk claimed the fully autonomous vehicles would be "10 times safer than a human."
The tech billionaire first teased the robotaxi in 2019 and has claimed since 2016 that Tesla is about a year away from delivering a self-driving car.
Musk's company will not be the first autonomous raid-hailing service in Austin.
In partnership with Uber, Waymo launched across Austin ahead of this year's South by Southwest Conference and Festival. The signature differences between Waymo and Tesla's self-driving vehicles is that Musk's company relies majorly on camera sensors, whereas, Waymo's vehicles rely on lidar, radar and camera sensors for guidance.
Tesla's June target for a robotaxi launch aligns with its CEO's renewed focus on his businesses.
Musk, who has served as the head of the federal government's Department of Government Efficiency since President Donald Trump took office, announced this week that he is officially walking away from Washington.
His role with DOGE, which was always meant to be temporary, abruptly came to an end this week. Tesla has faced a substantial decline in sales this year, with profits in the first quarter of 2025 falling 71% compared to the same period last year. The company also recently recorded its fourth consecutive month of slumped European sales, even though electric vehicle adoption rates are up.
In Tesla's April earnings call, Musk said he'd be spending more time at his companies in the coming months, but that has since shifted to completely leaving politics behind. Ahead of his aerospace company SpaceX's launch on Tuesday, he told a journalist that he spent "too much time" on politics this year.
Musk's move back to work also comes just after Tesla investors, who collectively own about 7.9 million shares in the company, penned a letter to the company's board chair demanding that Musk return to a 40-hour work week at the company.
'Tesla's stock price volatility, declining sales, as well as disconcerting reports regarding the company's human rights practices, and a plummeting global reputation are cause for serious concern,' the letter stated. 'Moreover, many issues are linked to Mr. Musk's actions outside of his role as Technoking and Chief Executive Officer at Tesla, including his high-profile role as an architect of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).'
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tesla's self-driving cars are testing in Austin as company aims June robotaxi service launch
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