According to a source close to the matter, Bloomberg reports that Tesla is getting ready to launch its robotaxi service in Austin on June 12. The source also noted that June 12 is a date that has been discussed internally and could still be subject to change.
During a January earnings call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk first revealed the company's fully autonomous ride-hailing service. After a few months, the business started testing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology on a small team of workers in San Francisco and Austin. However, in those early tests, FSD was supervised, meaning a driver was always behind the wheel.
Tesla has advanced its launch strategy in recent days. Musk claims that the business has been testing its driverless Model Ys on Austin's streets. He added that since there have been no incidents reported thus far, the service should be delivered from the factory to the client next month.
The confirmation comes a few days after Musk declared that he would be available at his businesses "24/7" to remain "super focused" on important projects. Additionally, he declared that he would be leaving his position with the US government and its DOGE project.
Not much more information about Tesla's self-driving ride-hailing service has been released. Musk stated that a small fleet of 10–20 Model Ys would be used initially, but there are few details available regarding public testing or scheduling a Tesla robotaxi. Waymo tested the service for a month with a small group of customers who voluntarily signed up before launching in Austin in March. Similar months-long public trials have been carried out by the Google-owned business in almost every city in which it currently operates.
Additionally, Waymo has its dedicated app, Waymo One, for many other regions and provides its service in Austin through Uber. Although it's unclear how Tesla will handle this, Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, has stated openly that he wants to integrate Tesla robotaxis.
According to The Verge, when Tesla's service launches, it will be invite-only. It might initially be exclusive to Musk's close friends, well-known social media influencers, and Tesla investors. According to the report, humans will operate the Model Ys used for the service remotely and will take control of the vehicles in the event that they encounter difficulties. Musk has historically been optimistic, sometimes overly so, about timelines. Still, if Tesla rolls out even a limited version of its robotaxi service on June 12, it would signal a significant leap forward for the company.
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