Tesla is set to introduce robotic taxis in Austin, Texas, this month, marking a significant milestone in the company’s decade-long journey towards developing self-driving cars. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, has announced that rides will commence on June 22, with a caveat that the date might change due to safety concerns.
The service will be operated through Tesla’s own ride-hailing network, rather than partnering with existing companies like Uber. Customers will be able to order rides through a mobile app, potentially the company’s existing app. Initially, the fleet will consist of approximately 10 unmodified Model Y crossovers, with plans to eventually incorporate the purpose-built autonomous taxi, Cybercab, into the service.
While Tesla has been promising self-driving capabilities through software updates for years, the vehicles in the fleet will run on a different self-driving software than traditional Tesla cars. Musk has emphasized that these vehicles are straight from the factory and capable of unsupervised self-driving.
The service will initially be invite-only, likely limited to Tesla employees and select influencers. It will operate within a geofenced area in Austin, focusing on areas deemed safest by the company. This approach contrasts with Tesla’s previous vision of a generalized self-driving system capable of navigating any environment without limitations.
Future plans for the service include rapid expansion to multiple cities across the U.S., with Musk aiming to have hundreds of thousands of self-driving cars in the fleet by the end of next year. Testing of driverless cars has already begun in Austin, with Tesla listed as an autonomous vehicle operator in the testing phase on the city’s website.
Despite the progress, many questions remain unanswered, including limitations based on weather conditions and operational hours, pricing, the role of remote operators, and the overall reliability of Tesla’s self-driving technology. As Tesla continues to navigate the complexities of launching a robotaxi service, the industry and consumers alike eagerly await the outcome.