Tesla Launches Robotaxi Service In Austin

Tesla carried out its “lowkey” launch of its robotaxi service in Austin (Texas) on Sunday, for a select number of people.

Both Elon Musk and Tesla used a number of tweets on X (formerly Twitter) to announce the launch, which saw a small number of invited shareholders, analysts, and pro-Tesla influencers participating in rides that cost a “flat fee” of $4.20 (£3.14). The service was not open to the general public at the time of writing.

Tesla had promised a robotaxi service in June, and ahead of the launch Tesla in May had sent a vehicle onto Austin roads without a safety driver for the first time. A Tesla engineer however was riding in the passenger seat of a Model Y SUV that drove without remote operation.

Robotaxi service

Elon Musk congratulated the Tesla teams on the successful launch, which he said was a “culmination of a decade of hard work.”

It should be noted that Tesla’s robotaxi service does not yet include the two seater ‘Cybercab’ that Musk had touted last year during the robotaxi launch, and it has a human “safety monitor” in the passenger seat who can operate a kill switch.

Tesla also only operated 10 to 20 Model Y Tesla vehicles, and the rides are said to be limited to a relatively safe geofenced area of Austin that has been thoroughly mapped by the firm. This area is said to avoid highways, airports, and complex intersections.

According to media reports, in some cases Tesla is also operating chase cars and remote drivers as additional backup.

Tesla also launched a webpage that outlines rules and guidelines of the service, and gives users a form to register their interest

Much hyped

Musk has touted self-driving robotaxis for many years, and has repeatedly missed his own stated deadlines.

In 2015 for example, Musk told shareholders that Tesla cars would achieve “full autonomy” within three years.

Then in 2016 Musk touted robotaxis in a 2016 “master plan”, and promised Tesla fans a self-driving car that was capable of driving from Los Angeles to New York without “the need for a single touch” by the end of 2017.

Then in 2019, Musk raised billions of dollars for Tesla by promising investors the company would have 1 million “robotaxi ready” cars on the road by the end of 2020.

In July 2020, Elon Musk claimed that Tesla was “very close” to achieving level 5 autonomous driving technology.

Level 5 is the holy grail of autonomous driving technology, as level 5 vehicles will not require human intervention, and need for a human drivers is eliminated.

Tesla’s FSD is currently classified as level-two, which requires the driver to remain alert and ready to act, with their hands on the wheel.

Robotaxi competition

Elon Musk has previous stated he wants to launch the robotaxi service in California, but the regulatory process in that state is much more complex than that of Texas.

And Musk will have to contend with serious competition from the likes of Alpahbet’s Waymo robotaxi service, which currently operates more than1,500 driverless vehicles in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin — with plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC in the near future.

Waymo also recently expanded its factory capabilities and said it will grow its fleet to 2,000 vehicles by next year.

Amazon’s Zoox has also announced its intention to begin testing its robotaxi service in Austin and Miami.

The other potential big name player in this sector had been Cruise from General Motors.

But GM killed off Cruise in December 2024, after it was subjected to regulatory red tape following a notable accident in 2023 when one of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolts dragged a San Francisco pedestrian after she had been struck by a separate hit and run vehicle.