Tesla launches first robotaxis in Texas
Tesla is finally ready to introduce its robotaxi service. As early as next month, a pilot project using autonomous vehicles will launch in Austin, Texas. Initially, the company will limit their operating zone to certain districts of the city and deploy only about 10 cars equipped with the Unsupervised Full-Self Driving system.
Elon Musk stated that Tesla plans to gradually expand the robotaxi fleet if the tests are successful. He also expressed confidence that by the end of 2026, hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, autonomous Teslas could appear on U.S. roads. However, as always with Musk’s predictions, we’ll have to wait and see if these plans come to fruition.
“We will start with a small number of vehicles, ensure everything works properly, and then scale the service,” Musk said.
Tesla owners will be able to earn money with their cars
The company does not plan to acquire services like Uber, as it believes it already has everything needed to successfully launch its own robotaxi network. In addition to its own fleet, Tesla will allow private owners of its vehicles to join the system so they can operate as robotaxis when not in use.
“We have millions of cars that will be able to operate autonomously. It will be a combination of Tesla’s own fleet and the ability for owners to add their vehicles to the system,” Musk added.
Although Tesla lags behind Waymo in the autonomous taxi sector, the launch of the pilot project in Austin could be the first step toward changing that. The success of this initiative will largely depend on the reliability of the new control system and public reaction to autonomous taxis.