Tesla to expand robotaxi service within two months: Elon Musk
Tesla last month rolled out a test of the long-promised service in a limited area of Austin, Texas, with about a dozen vehicles, a select group of passengers and many restrictions, including a safety monitor in the front passenger seat.
Tesla will expand the service to 'a larger area in Austin this weekend,' Musk said on his social media platform X in response to a post from a user about the lack of an update on expansion. Musk did not specify the location or size of the expansion.
Another X user - Tesla Owners Silicon Valley - then asked about an expansion to the Bay Area, and Musk replied, 'Waiting on regulatory approvals, but probably in a month or two.'
The successful expansion of robotaxis will be crucial to Tesla's future as sales of its aging lineup of electric vehicles have slumped amid rising competition and a backlash against Musk's embrace of far-right political views. Much of the company's trillion-dollar valuation hangs on Musk's bet on robotaxis and humanoid robots that are powered by artificial intelligence.
Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been harder than anticipated with high costs, tight regulations and investigations forcing many, including General Motors' Cruise unit, to shut down. Until Tesla's recent rollout, Alphabet's Waymo was the only company running driverless robotaxis charging fees from passengers.
Waymo with about 1,500 vehicles has been expanding its service cautiously for years and is currently available in San Francisco and other cities in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta. Musk has said Tesla will ramp up the service rapidly to other US cities.
But while Tesla faced almost no regulation in Texas, California tightly controls where and how firms can operate autonomous vehicles and requires testing data for permits.
In California, Tesla would need a series of permits from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to operate a fully autonomous robotaxi service that charges customers.
The CPUC in March gave Tesla the first in a series of approvals required to eventually launch the service. The DMV and CPUC did not respond to Reuters' requests for comments outside of regular business hours.
Tesla's public test in Austin led to multiple traffic problems and driving issues, social media videos from the company-selected riders showed over the first few days.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ArabGT
2 hours ago
- ArabGT
Could The Lexus Sport Concept Be The Long Awaited LFA Successor
Lexus turned heads at Monterey Car Week when it unveiled the breathtaking Sport Concept at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. This isn't just another concept car—it's a bold statement about the future of Lexus performance, and it may very well be the beginning of a new chapter for the brand. The story has been building for months. Earlier this year, two mysterious camouflaged prototypes appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and on California roads. One was clearly a GT3 racer, the other looked like a road-going supercar. Now, with the Sport Concept finally revealed, it seems Toyota and Lexus are preparing not one, but three high-performance machines: a full-blown GT3 race car, a Toyota GR sports car, and this luxury-focused Lexus coupe that blends cutting-edge design with unmistakable presence. Visually, the Sport Concept is stunning. It carries echoes of the beloved LC and the legendary LFA, yet it feels like something entirely new. The long hood, set-back cabin, and dramatic proportions suggest a front-engine, rear-drive layout with a rear transaxle, while massive air vents, integrated exhausts beneath the wing, and aerodynamic details show this car means business. Even without an interior on display, the stance alone tells us Lexus is serious about performance. Under the skin, whispers point to an electrified twin-turbo V8 as the powertrain of choice. Toyota's version is expected to lean toward a high-performance hybrid setup, while the Lexus could feature a plug-in hybrid system tuned for even more power. Meanwhile, the GT3 race car is likely to use a stripped-back version of the same engine, perfectly suited to endurance racing—something Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is famously passionate about. So what exactly is this Lexus? A successor to the LC? A spiritual revival of the LFA? Or perhaps a brand-new flagship for a new era? Lexus describes it as a 'progressively styled, future-focused yet truly authentic sportscar,' and from the looks of it, that's no exaggeration. The wait won't be long. Full details are expected before the end of 2025, with production versions of all three cars slated to arrive by 2027. If this Monterey debut is a preview of what's to come, Lexus is ready to shake up the world of performance cars once again—combining luxury, technology, and motorsport passion in a way only Lexus can.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
OpenAI staff looking to sell $6 billion in stock: Report
Current and former employees of OpenAI are looking to sell nearly $6 billion worth of the ChatGPT maker's shares to investors including SoftBank Group and Thrive Capital, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday. The potential deal would value the company at $500 billion, up from $300 billion currently, underscoring both OpenAI's rapid gains in users and revenue, as well as the intense competition among artificial intelligence firms for talent. SoftBank, Thrive and Dragoneer Investment Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment. All three investment firms are existing OpenAI investors. Bloomberg News, which had earlier reported the development, said discussions are in early stages and the size of the sale could change. The secondary share sale investment adds to SoftBank's role in leading OpenAI's $40 billion primary funding round. Bolstered by its flagship product ChatGPT, OpenAI doubled its revenue in the first seven months of the year, reaching an annualized run rate of $12 billion, and is on track to reach $20 billion by the end of the year, Reuters reported earlier in August. Microsoft-backed OpenAI has about 700 million weekly active users for its ChatGPT products, a surge from about 400 million in February.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Al Arabiya
After repeated explosions, new test for Musk's megarocket
SpaceX said on Friday that its Starship megarocket is scheduled for another test flight next weekend, after a series of fiery failures that have drawn scrutiny from regulators and foreign governments. The world's most powerful launch vehicle, Starship is central to Elon Musk's plans to return astronauts to the Moon and eventually colonize Mars. But repeated explosions have left debris scattered over Caribbean islands, disrupted flights, and raised questions about the program's safety record. The rocket's 10th test is slated for as early as August 24 from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas, according to the company's website. Previous attempts this year saw the spacecraft reach space but disintegrate before a planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, following a fuel leak and loss of control. Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall, the rocket is designed to be fully reusable and launch at a fraction of traditional costs. SpaceX has embraced a 'fail fast, learn fast' approach, but the latest setbacks — including a June ground test explosion — have intensified pressure on Musk's company. Despite the failures, Musk insists Starship will begin uncrewed Mars missions next year. Yet environmental concerns are mounting. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened legal action in June over falling debris and contamination, while US regulators recently raised the annual limit on Starship launches from five to 25.
