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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday that the company will launch a paid ride-hailing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, using its own vehicles, with a target start date in June. This development adds to Musk’s ambitious vision for self-driving technology, though it is one of many high expectations that have yet to be fully realized.
Musk did not provide as much information as expected. The cars would use the “unsupervised” version of Full Self-Driving software, which has not yet been released, according to Musk during an earnings call. Additionally, he mentioned that owners in California and “many regions of the U.S.” can anticipate the deployment of the unsupervised FSD software this year. However, Musk has stated that owners will not be able to join their personal vehicles to the Tesla ride-hail fleet until at least next year.
2025: Tesla’s Crucial Year for Self-Driving Technology
The CEO then described 2025 as “maybe the most important year in Tesla’s history.” When Tesla unveiled its purpose-built Cybercab prototype in October—a vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals—Musk initially hinted at the possibility of launching a paid self-driving firm. During that occasion, he mentioned that Tesla was planning to use Model Y SUVs and Model 3 sedans to launch an early version of its ride-hailing service in California and Texas in 2025.
According to a recent report by Bloomberg News, Tesla is reportedly in discussions with Austin city officials on this matter. There was a delay in a response from the city’s press office.
During a Wednesday interview, Musk mentioned that Tesla is “putting our toe in the water gently at first, just to make sure everything’s cool,” but he didn’t elaborate on what this implies. He said that Tesla’s Texas factory grounds, which are significantly less complex than real-world environments, have been used to test the performance of unsupervised FSD software.
“Then, you know, put a few more toes in the water, then put a foot in the water, with the safety of the general public and those in the car as a top priority,” according to him.
Musk has stated that Tesla is “looking for a safety level that is significantly above the average human driver,” but he has not elaborated on how the company determines this level of safety.
The so-called “vehicle safety report” has been available on the company’s website for some time now, and it details the distance covered by its less competent driver assistance software, Autopilot, between crashes. After that, the business compares it to the government’s overall crash statistics for human drivers. However, this comparison has a number of issues. Autopilot is more effective on motorways, not city streets. Furthermore, Tesla provides no information regarding the circumstances surrounding or the seriousness of these impacts.
