Tesla Expands Robotaxi Service
Tesla recently launched its Robotaxi service in a limited area of Austin, Texas. According to Elon Musk, by the end of the year, this service will cover half of the US population. He also stated that Tesla owners will receive a fully unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system by the end of 2025.
Ahead lie ambitious expansion plans for California, Florida, Nevada, and Arizona. However, the company has not yet obtained the necessary permits from local authorities. Currently, all test vehicles are equipped with a safety system capable of instantly disabling FSD, and a Tesla employee is always present in the cabin.
Challenges of Autonomous Driving
There have already been recorded instances of Robotaxis making mistakes on Texas roads. This raises doubts about the possibility of scaling the system within such tight deadlines. By the end of July, the service operates in only one city, making Musk’s statements about such rapid expansion quite questionable.
“Half of the US population will be covered by the Robotaxi service by the end of the year” – Elon Musk
Regulatory hurdles remain the main challenge for Tesla. Even with successful tests, the company cannot accelerate the process of obtaining permits in different states. Therefore, residents of less populated regions are unlikely to be able to use this service in the near future.
Despite the optimistic forecasts of management, the real pace of technology implementation lags significantly behind the stated ones. Experts point to the need for prolonged testing and refinement of the system, especially considering the incidents recorded in Texas.