According to a video posted by a user on social media platform X, a Tesla Model Y emblazoned with the words "Robotaxi" was spotted conducting tests on public roads in Austin, Texas, with no one seated at the driver's position, sparking widespread attention.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and the official Tesla account shared the video and confirmed that the Robotaxi service is set to launch in Austin on June 22. However, the exact date may be adjusted due to safety considerations. Musk also revealed that the first Tesla vehicle delivered directly from the factory to customers in an autonomous mode is expected to happen on June 28.
Tesla’s Robotaxi project will be based on the Model Y, equipped with the latest version of the fully self-driving (FSD) unsupervised system. Musk stated that all vehicles leaving Tesla factories are capable of unsupervised autonomous driving, meaning every Tesla has the potential to become part of the Robotaxi fleet. Initially, the Robotaxi service in Austin will begin with a small fleet of 10 Model Ys, operating within specific areas, with Tesla employees monitoring them remotely for safety. If the tests go smoothly, Tesla plans to rapidly expand the fleet size to thousands of vehicles and extend the service to other cities like Los Angeles.
Despite Tesla's ambitious plans in the autonomous driving field, concerns remain among the market and regulatory bodies regarding its safety and technological maturity. In comparison, Waymo, under Alphabet, has already been operating mature autonomous taxi services in places like Austin, accumulating millions of miles of test data. Tesla’s testing period is relatively shorter; some comments point out that it has only conducted a few days of autonomous driving tests, falling far short of industry standards.