Tesla’s robotaxi debut will reportedly be restricted to solely 10 vehicles in very particular areas

The long-promised launch of Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin is scheduled for June 22, and it appears like the corporate’s preliminary providing will probably be modest at finest. The Financial Times writes that Tesla will solely have round 10 vehicles obtainable for rides and that the corporate plans to make them “keep away from the town’s most difficult intersections.” If points come up, distant operators will even reportedly be capable of take management of the vehicles to verify they attain their closing vacation spot.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk informed CNBC in Could that the robotaxi service may launch with lower than a dozen vehicles, in order that’s not essentially a shock, however the precise scope could also be even smaller. Analysts The New York Times spoke to consider rides in Tesla’s robotaxi will solely be obtainable to “firm staff or invited visitors.” It might take months earlier than the service is made obtainable to the broader public.

Musk formally launched the corporate’s robotaxi service and its self-driving Cybercab at an occasion in October 2024, however the concept has been a promised function for Tesla homeowners for even longer. The pitch goes that since all Teslas are geared up with the cameras essential for the corporate’s self-driving system, any of them may be transformed right into a cab whereas not in use. Musk believes autonomous transport might be so widespread that it turns into as low-cost as mass transit, whereas being safer than counting on a human driver.

Whether or not the corporate’s Full Self Driving system can pull that off is an open query. Tesla is currently being investigated by the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration for autonomous driving-related crashes. The corporate has additionally reportedly blocked the town of Austin from handing over its robotaxi information, which suggests it is at the least considerably self-conscious about the way it will carry out.