Tesla is aiming to put its first robotaxis on public roads in June , the automaker ’s chief operating officer , Elon Musk , say on Wednesday .
Speaking during a call with investors following the release of Tesla ’s latest financial results , Musk said the programme is to start with a paid robotaxi service in Austin , Texas , in June , using vehicles with a variation of Tesla ’s Full ego - Driving ( FSD ) software . He impart that a pay off ridesharing service using unsupervised self-reliant Teslas would inflate to other U.S. metropolis “ by the end of this twelvemonth , ” with launch in the first abroad markets number some time in 2026 , though he cautioned that regulative constraints in locations like the EU and China could result in delays .
Musk mentioned plan for a robotaxi service last tumble during the glitzy unveiling of the society ’s firstCybercab autonomous taxiprototype , indicate that Tesla would begin by using Model Y and Model 3 vehicle rather than the Cybercab , which does away with a steering roulette wheel and treadle .
Regarding the straightaway design for Austin , Musk said the service would start with a fleet of Tesla - operate fomite , adding that next yr he ’d wish to have a system where any Tesla proprietor would be able to put up their vehicle for autonomous ridesharing trip when they ’re not using it .
Musk said that Tesla sees the Austin launch as “ putting a toe in the water [ to ] verify everything ’s hunky-dory , ” sum up that the “ safety of the general populace and those in the car [ is ] our top precedency . ”
Indeed , Tesla ’s first robotaxis will be closely watched as they set out carrying paying rider around the street of the Texas city . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) has launcheda figure of investigationsinto the safety of Tesla ’s Autopilot and FSD technologies , while critics take thatTesla safety reports lack details , piss it difficult to make comparison with national average or to draw meaningful conclusions about real - globe refuge .
In a German mark of the safety challenge facing such autonomous - car initiatives , General Motors recentlyended backing for robotaxi house Cruisefollowing a bit of perturbing incident , include one where an autonomous Cruise car run over a fair sex in San Francisco .
A Bloomberg report in December said that Tesla had been in touch with Austin ’s self-reliant fomite task effect to establish safety expectations for the incoming Tesla robotaxis .
In Wednesday ’s call with investors , Musk order that “ yard of [ Nikola Tesla ] cars every 24-hour interval are driving with no one in them at our Fremont factory in California . ” Tesla expel a picture ( below ) on Wednesday showing the empty car in activity , comment that it ’s “ one gradation nigher to tumid - scale unsupervised FSD . ”
Teslas now drive themselves from their birthplace at the factory to their designated shipment bobtail lane without human intervention
One step closer to large - exfoliation unsupervised FSDpic.twitter.com/Aj6dHsLaRO
& mdash ; Tesla AI ( @Tesla_AI)January 29 , 2025
