Elon Musk reveales launch date of Tesla robotaxi

By Alimat Aliyeva

Tesla plans to launch a driverless taxi service in Austin, Texas, as early as June 2025, Elon Musk announced during a conference call following the company’s quarterly results, Azernews reports.

"We want to start small, ensure everything is working as it should, and gradually expand the service, with a focus on the safety of both passengers and all road users," Musk stated.

According to Musk, the self-driving cars will be part of Tesla's own fleet, not owned by private individuals. (Previously, Musk had promised Tesla customers the option to add their cars to the "Tesla Network" for ride-sharing services.) These vehicles will be available for paid trips and will arrive with no driver behind the wheel.

Over the years, Musk has faced criticism for repeatedly promising the imminent arrival of fully autonomous cars, promises that have yet to be fully realized. However, the timelines Musk has provided this time have been significantly shortened.

"This is not some distant, mythical prospect," Musk emphasized. "It’s literally in five to six months."

In a letter to shareholders, Tesla noted that as of January, its customers had driven over three billion miles using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) "Supervised" driver assistance system. Tesla claims that FSD (Supervised) is a precursor to fully autonomous vehicles, but the company cautions that customers must always monitor the road, as the system does not make the car fully autonomous. Additionally, Tesla said it increased its computing power for AI training by over 400% in 2024.

Recently, Tesla released a video showing dozens of Model 3 and Model Y cars driving "without human intervention" along a closed 1.2-mile stretch of Tesla factory roads. While there was no driver in these vehicles, they were operating in a controlled environment. Musk said that Tesla's self-driving cars will soon operate similarly at the company’s plant in Texas.

This ambitious plan to introduce fully autonomous taxis in Austin highlights Tesla’s continued push to lead the electric vehicle and autonomous driving markets. Despite past setbacks, the company’s growing advancements in AI and autonomous technology continue to capture attention, raising both excitement and skepticism about the future of self-driving cars.