Tesla will roll out its first robotaxis in June. The announcement came Tuesday, May 20, by the automaker’s CEO, Elon Musk, who told CNBC’s David Faber that Tesla will debut the autonomous taxis in Austin, Texas, before introducing them to major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
How many vehicles will be involved in the launch?
Musk says the Tesla robotaxi services will launch with just 10 vehicles in the Texas capital by the end of June, quickly increasing those numbers to thousands of robotaxis if the trial is successful.
Tesla has reportedly missed several deadlines for introducing its self-driving technology. As far back as 2016, the company told investors that it was about a year away from introducing driverless capabilities without the need for human supervision.
Why is Tesla starting small?
“It’s prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well and then scale up,” said Musk.
Tesla will begin with Model Y vehicles as robotaxis that will employ new full self-driving technology, otherwise dubbed “FSD Unsupervised,” according to CNBC. Tesla’s move into the robotaxi market comes as Alphabet’s Waymo has been on the scene for years. Currently, Alphabet reports driverless taxis across the U.S. complete around 250,000 trips for customers per week.
Musk says his robotaxis will be geofenced in Austin, which means they are only allowed in certain geographical areas.
He said, “We are actually going to deploy not to the entire Austin region, but only parts that are safest.”
Who will be in charge of safety?
The Tesla CEO, however, notes that the vehicles will not feature a human supervising them. Instead, Tesla workers will track the fleet remotely.
Musk said, “We’ll be watching what the cars are doing very carefully and, as confidence grows, less of that will be needed.”
Tesla’s CEO’s comments on safety come at a time when many are reportedly skeptical about self-driving cars. His apparent cautious approach also comes after General Motors was forced to pay a $1.5 million fine after it reportedly failed to release details on a serious crash involving a pedestrian in 2023.
What kind of technology will be used?
Musk has said in the past that his robotaxis will differ from Waymo’s in that they will largely rely on camera systems and computer vision rather than high-tech sensors including radar in its vehicles. Musk believes those sensors are not cost-effective and hold Tesla back from mass production of robotaxis.
Musk asserted, “What will actually work best for the road system is artificial intelligence, digital neural nets and cameras.”
What is Musk’s political future?
The Tesla CEO was also asked about the business ramifications of his political involvement with President Donald Trump. Tesla has seen boycotts and protests after Musk donated nearly $300 million to Trump’s presidential campaign and led mass layoffs of federal workers through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In a separate interview on Tuesday, Musk acknowledged that he may be taking a step back from politics, particularly when it comes to donations in the next election cycle. Musk made the comments while on a conference call in Qatar.
Musk said, “I think in terms of political spending, I’m going to do less in the future. I think I’ve done enough.”
When pressed on whether his decision came because of political backlash, including a failed effort to get conservative Brad Schimel in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which saw Schimel defeated by liberal Susan Crawford, Musk says he’ll donate where he sees fit.
“Well, if there is a reason for political spending in the future, I will do it,” Musk said. “I do not currently see a reason.”
Musk also revealed Tuesday that he’s focused on leading Tesla for the next five years. He told Bloomberg there is “no doubt about that at all.”
