Tesla is gearing up to launch its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas by the end of June, as confirmed by CEO Elon Musk in a recent interview with CNBC. The service will initially start with a small fleet of around 10 driverless cars, with plans to scale up to thousands in the coming months. These robotaxis will be closely supervised by teleoperators to ensure safety and efficiency on the roads.
Musk emphasized the importance of starting with a small number of vehicles to ensure everything runs smoothly before expanding the fleet. He mentioned that the number of driverless taxis on the road will gradually increase, with projections of reaching up to 1,000 cars within a few months. The company also plans to extend the Robotaxi service to other cities like San Francisco, California, Los Angeles, and San Antonio in the future.
According to Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, the launch date for Tesla’s Robotaxi service is yet to be finalized. The service will operate on public roads on an invite-only basis, with teleoperators monitoring the vehicles remotely. This approach is in line with industry standards, with other companies like Waymo and Cruise also using remote operators to supervise their autonomous vehicles.
Currently, Tesla has a test fleet of “thousands” of cars driving around San Antonio with safety drivers onboard to collect data for the upcoming driverless service. Musk mentioned that these test vehicles have had minimal interventions, showcasing the advanced capabilities of Tesla’s autonomous technology.
The ultimate goal for Tesla is to introduce a Full Self-Driving Unsupervised system to the market. While the current software requires driver supervision, the future version will allow cars to operate autonomously without the need for constant human intervention. Musk predicts that by the end of next year, there could be hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, Teslas capable of self-driving in the U.S.
Once fully autonomous driving is achieved, Tesla owners will have the opportunity to send out their cars to transport passengers and earn money in the process. Musk envisions a future where idle cars can generate income for their owners by providing transportation services when not in use.
While Musk’s vision for self-driving technology is ambitious, it is important to note that Tesla has yet to deliver on some of its previous promises regarding full self-driving capabilities. Nevertheless, the company’s progress in the autonomous driving space shows promise for the future of transportation.