Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company's robotaxi service will launch in Austin, Texas, on June 22, 2025, with the first route — from the Tesla factory to a customer's home — scheduled for June 28. In a post on X, he also noted that the robotaxi launch date could change due to increased safety requirements.
Tesla is already testing the Model Y with a new version of Full Self-Driving (FSD), which works without a human at the wheel. Musk recently posted a video from Austin, where a robo-taxi autonomously drives through an intersection and stops in front of pedestrians. In the first stages, a small fleet of vehicles (10-20 cars) will be used, and movement will be limited by a geofence. The system will be controlled remotely by Tesla employees.
This project is not only a technological breakthrough, but also an element of Elon Musk's public image. Recall that the billionaire previously spent about $ 300 million on Donald Trump's campaign and headed a government department that reduced regulatory bodies, including those that controlled Tesla. However, later a conflict arose between Musk and Trump: Musk criticized the new legislation, threatened to stop the use of the Dragon spacecraft and even supported impeachment. Although he later admitted that he regretted it.
By the way, amid the enthusiasm of Tesla fans for the launch of the robotaxi, some activists are preparing for protests. In particular, The Dawn Project, in collaboration with Tesla Takedown and Resist Austin, announced a demonstration for June 12 to draw attention to the dangers associated with the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) systems.