Tesla's robotaxi debut will reportedly be limited to only 10 cars in very specific areas
The long-promised launch of Tesla's robotaxi service in Austin is scheduled for June 22, and it sounds like the company's initial offering will be modest at best. The Financial Times writes that Tesla will only have around 10 cars available for rides and that the company plans to make them "avoid the city's most challenging intersections." If issues arise, remote operators will also reportedly be able to take control of the cars to make sure they reach their final destination.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk told CNBC in May that the robotaxi service might launch with less than a dozen cars, so that's not necessarily a surprise, but the actual scope may be even smaller. Analysts The New York Times spoke to believe rides in Tesla's robotaxi will only be available to "company employees or invited guests." It could take months before the service is made available to the wider public.
Musk formally introduced the company's robotaxi service and its self-driving Cybercab at an event in October 2024, but the idea has been a promised feature for Tesla owners for even longer. The pitch goes that since all Teslas are equipped with the cameras necessary for the company's self-driving system, any of them can be converted into a cab while not in use. Musk believes autonomous transport could be so widespread that it becomes as cheap as mass transit, while being safer than relying on a human driver.
Whether the company's Full Self Driving system can pull that off is an open question. Tesla is currently being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for autonomous driving-related crashes. The company has also reportedly blocked the city of Austin from handing over its robotaxi records, which suggests it's at least somewhat self-conscious about how it will perform.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Google (GOOGL) Is Training AI on YouTube Videos, and Creators Didn't Even Know
Tech giant Google (GOOGL) is using part of its huge library of YouTube videos (around 20 billion in total) to train AI models like Gemini and Veo 3, according to CNBC. Although the company says it only uses a portion of the videos and follows agreements with creators and media companies, this still means that billions of minutes of content are used for training. Unsurprisingly, YouTube says that it has always used content to improve its products and now has protections to help creators control how their image is used in the age of AI. However, creators can't stop Google from using their videos for its own AI models, and many weren't aware this was happening. Confident Investing Starts Here: As a result, some experts and creators are worried. Indeed, tools like Trace ID from a company called Vermillio, which is used to detect overlaps between AI-generated videos and original ones, have found that Veo 3 has created videos very similar to existing YouTube content. One example showed a Veo 3 video closely matched a video from creator Brodie Moss, with a score of 71 for the video and over 90 for just the audio. While some creators welcome the competition, others feel their work is being used unfairly, without credit, consent, or payment. This news comes at a time when the entertainment world is pushing back, as Disney (DIS) and Universal (CMCSA) recently filed a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney for copyright issues. Google, meanwhile, says it will take legal responsibility if users face copyright complaints over content created with Veo 3. YouTube has also partnered with the Creative Artists Agency to help top talent manage how their image is used in AI. But some say YouTube's tools aren't reliable. In fact, U.S. lawmakers, like Senator Josh Hawley, argue that stronger rights are needed to protect people's images and creations as AI advances. Is Google Stock a Good Buy? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on GOOGL stock based on 29 Buys and nine Holds assigned in the past three months. Furthermore, the average GOOGL price target of $199.11 per share implies 14.88% upside potential from current levels.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Musk slams influential Trump adviser: ‘He's a snake'
Tesla CEO Elon Musk swiped at a senior White House official late Wednesday following reports of a rift between the two men. Musk replied to a post on X, the social media platform he owns, linking to a New York Post story detailing that Sergio Gor had not submitted full vetting paperwork. Gor is one of the most influential officials in the White House, serving as head of the Presidential Personnel Office. 'He's a snake,' Musk wrote of Gor. READ MORE:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Just Turned X Into Wall Street's Newest Rival -- And It's Just the Beginning
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is inching closer to becoming a full-blown fintech ecosystem. CEO Linda Yaccarino told the Financial Times that users will soon be able to invest or trade directly on the apppart of Elon Musk's grander vision to turn X into a U.S. version of China's WeChat. That includes everything from peer-to-peer payments via X Money to digital tipping and possibly even credit or debit cards, which could arrive as early as this year. The rollout will begin in the U.S., with Visa onboard as a launch partner, before expanding to other markets. The move comes as X tries to climb out of its post-acquisition slump. Since Musk's $44 billion takeover, advertising revenue has dropped sharply, and the platform has battled both reputational damage and advertiser boycotts. Yaccarino says 96% of pre-acquisition advertisers have returned and expects revenue to rebound to 2022 levels super soon. But not everyone's convinced. Some advertisers remain wary, citing concerns over brand safety, content toxicity, and reports of pressure to spend or face legal action. Research firm Emarketer sees X's 2025 revenue reaching $2.3 billion, up from $1.9 billion last yearbut still far below the $4.1 billion it generated when Musk first took the reins. There's also a tech twist. In March, Musk folded X into his AI startup xAI in a $45 billion deal. Yaccarino believes this will double the engineering horsepower behind the platform and help deliver smarter, real-time ad targeting around trending content. While X may face serious regulatory friction as it pushes into payments and investing, the potential upside is significant. If it works, X could carve out a unique lane that blends trading, tipping, and transacting in one appterritory even Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) hasn't touched. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
