Musk says Tesla's robotaxi service to 'tentatively' launch in Austin on June 22
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Elon Musk says Tesla is 'tentatively' set to begin providing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 22.
In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is 'being super paranoid about safety.'
Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch in Austin sometime in June.
Last month, Musk told CNBC that the taxis will be remotely monitored at first and 'geofenced' to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate. He said he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities.
Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles 'next year' for a decade, but the pressure is on now as Tesla actually begins to operate a self-driving taxi service. Sales of Tesla's electric vehicles have sagged due to increased competition, the retooling of its most popular car, the Model Y, and the fallout from Musk's turn to politics.
The Austin rollout also comes after Musk had a public blowup with President Donald Trump over the administration's tax bill. Some analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate by encouraging federal safety regulators to to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
23 minutes ago
- CNBC
Watch CNBC's full interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discusses Europe's role in the AI race, the robotics and AV industries, and how U.S.-China relations could impact the future of technology with CNBC's Arjun Kharpal at the VivaTech conference in Paris.
CNBC
25 minutes ago
- CNBC
Nvidia CEO says this is the decade of robotics and autonomous vehicles
Autonomous vehicles and robotics are going to take off in a big way in the years ahead, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. "This is going to be the decade of AV [autonomous vehicles], robotics, autonomous machines," Huang told CNBC's Arjun Kharpal Thursday at the Viva Tech conference in Paris. Nvidia plays a significant role in the rollout of driverless vehicles as the U.S. chipmaking giant sells both hardware and software solutions for AVs. Self-driving cars are being spotted more frequently in the U.S., where Google-owned Waymo is operating robotaxi services in parts of San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, a number of Chinese companies including Baidu and are also running their own respective robotaxi fleets. Europe, on the other hand, is yet to see significant AV adoption — primarily because the regulations are not yet clear enough for self-driving technology companies to get their services off the ground. However, the technology is beginning to gain more traction. In the U.K., legislation called the Autonomous Vehicles Act has been passed into law, paving the way for self-driving vehicles to arrive on roads by 2026. Uber on Tuesday announced a partnership with British self-driving car technology firm Wayve to launch trials of fully autonomous rides in the U.K., starting in spring 2026.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla stock gains on Elon Musk's 'regret' over Trump spat
Tesla (TSLA) stock is rebounding after CEO Elon Musk admitted on X (formerly Twitter) that his posts about former President Trump "went too far" following their public clash last week. Morning Brief host Madison Mills breaks down how Musk's statement may impact Tesla's recovery after the feud wiped $153 billion from the company's market value. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Morning Brief here. Tesla shares rising this morning after CEO Elon Musk posted on X overnight, saying he regrets some of the posts he made about President Trump when they publicly clashed last week. Musk going on to say the posts, quote, went too far. Now, this comes after Trump and Musk traded barbs on social media. Their disagreement over the Republican tax bill turning personal, with Musk claiming Trump would have lost the election without him and saying Trump's tariffs could cause a recession. President Trump responding by threatening to cancel billions and billions of government contracts from Musk's SpaceX. The public feud causing Tesla to shed $153 billion from its market cap, marking its biggest ever one-day drop.
