Tesla has initiated its first robotaxi service in Austin on June 22, requiring safety monitors for each ride. CEO Elon Musk indicated that Tesla may soon operate fully driverless robotaxis, projecting a timeline of about three weeks from now to remove safety oversight in Austin, aiming for a fully autonomous service by year-end.
As of now, Tesla’s robotaxi system has completed over 550,000 miles, mainly in Austin and the Bay Area. Despite Musk’s ambitious goals, including serving half the U.S. population by the end of the year, expansion remains limited to Texas, California, and Arizona, with plans for additional cities pending regulatory approvals.
In comparison, Tesla faces competition from Alphabet’s Waymo, which has been operating truly driverless vehicles and now offers 450,000 weekly paid rides, and Baidu’s Apollo Go, providing fully autonomous services in multiple cities in China.
