Elon Musk has announced that Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi service is “tentatively” scheduled to launch in Austin, Texas, on June 22.
The announcement was made via a post on Musk’s social media platform, X. However, he noted that the date could still shift, emphasizing that Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.”
For months, investors, Wall Street analysts, and Tesla enthusiasts have been closely monitoring developments around the autonomous taxi initiative. Earlier this year, Musk stated that the service would begin operating in Austin sometime in June.
In a May interview with CNBC, Musk revealed that the robotaxis will initially be remotely monitored and confined to “geofenced” zones within Austin that are considered safest for autonomous operation.
At launch, around 10 vehicles are expected to hit the streets, with plans to expand that number quickly. The service will later roll out to other cities including Los Angeles, San Antonio, and San Francisco.
Although Musk has spent over a decade pledging that fully autonomous Tesla vehicles are just a year away, the upcoming rollout places new urgency on delivery.
Tesla is under growing pressure, especially as sales of its electric vehicles have dipped—due to intensifying market competition, production changes to the Model Y, and public reaction to Musk’s political engagements.
The timing of the Austin debut also follows a public rift between Musk and President Donald Trump over recent tax legislation. Some market observers worry that the fallout could result in regulatory pushback. As one concern put it: Trump may “encourage federal safety regulators to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis.”
Despite years of bold predictions, the June 22 launch could mark a pivotal moment for Tesla if successful—ushering in a new era of autonomous ride services under intense scrutiny.
(The Independent)
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