Tesla's public robotaxi rides set for tentative June 22 start, says Musk

SAN FRANCISCO: Tesla tentatively plans to begin offering rides on its self-driving robotaxis to the public on June 22, CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday, as investors and fans of the electric vehicle maker eagerly await rollout of the long-promised service.

Musk has staked Tesla's future on self-driving vehicles, pivoting away from plans to build a cheaper EV platform, and much of the company's valuation hangs on that vision.

But commercialising autonomous vehicles (AV) has been challenging with safety concerns, tight regulations and soaring investments, and many have been sceptical of Musk's plans.

"We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift," Musk said in a post on X in response to a question from a user about public robotaxi rides that the EV maker plans to first offer in Austin, Texas.

Musk also said starting June 28, Tesla vehicles will drive themselves to a customer's house from the end of the factory line.

A successful robotaxi launch is crucial for Tesla as sales of its EVs have softened due to rising competition and a backlash against Musk's embrace of far-right political views in Europe, and his recent work for US President Donald Trump before their public falling out.

Musk has promised a paid robotaxi service in Austin starting with about 10-20 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate in a limited area and under remote human supervision.

The company then plans to expand operations to other US states later in the year, including California which has stringent AV regulations.

Tesla has been testing its self-driving vehicles on public streets in Austin, Musk said last month.

Earlier on Tuesday, Musk re-posted a video on X that showed a Model Y making a turn at an Austin intersection with no human driver and the word "Robotaxi" written on it, and followed closely by another Model Y.

The vehicles were using a new version of Tesla's advanced driver assistance software, called Full Self-Driving (FSD), Musk said in a separate X post.

Little else is known about Tesla's robotaxi service, including where it will operate, the extent of remote supervision and how the public can use the service.