Tesla announces launch date for game-changing new service: 'That's how progress works'
Tesla could be launching its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in a matter of days after the automaker tested its self-driving Model Ys ahead of schedule.
According to Bloomberg, Tesla is eyeing Thursday as the official launch date — with several caveats. For one, that timeline could still change. Secondly, only 10 self-driving electric vehicles will be in operation, with Teslarati reporting riders will need an invite from the company.
If realized, Tesla's robotaxi could be a major win for a brand reinventing itself around driverless vehicles and artificial intelligence. The company has found itself on bumpy roads at the outset of 2025, with plummeting stocks and a 13% year-over-year dip in EV deliveries in the first quarter of the year.
While a growing number of automakers are entering the lucrative electric vehicle market, giving consumers more options than ever when choosing an EV, CEO Elon Musk's polarizing involvement in politics did the brand no favors and contributed to the decline.
As for the robotaxi, several media reports suggested that Tesla hadn't begun testing it at all, as Teslarati noted, causing a flurry of speculation that a June launch was another one of the company's pipe dreams. However, at the end of May, Bloomberg reported that a Tesla robotaxi had completed its first test run on public roads without someone in the driver's seat.
Tesla didn't respond to the publication's request for comment, but on May 28, Musk said on the social platform X that Tesla had been testing for multiple days.
When it launches, Tesla won't have the first autonomous taxi service in Austin. Waymo, which completes around 250,000 self-driving rides each week across multiple cities, tested a prototype in Austin in 2015 and began a limited rollout of its self-driving service in the city in March 2024 before opening it to the public.
Critics of Tesla's robotaxi worry that a June launch may be premature, as the automaker has well-documented struggles with its autonomous driving features. Recently, a pair of Business Insider writers had their Tesla robotaxi proceed through a red light in San Francisco.
If those reported issues are addressed, though, having more EVs on the roadways would be a positive development, contributing to healthier air quality, as they don't release heat-trapping, asthma-linked pollution when driven the way gas-powered vehicles do.
EV drivers also report significant savings on energy and maintenance. Many are maximizing their savings by installing solar panels, which are cheaper to use than relying on public charging stations or the grid. EnergySage can save homeowners up to $10,000 in installation costs.
Would you ride in a self-driving Tesla Robotaxi?
Heck yes
Probably
Not anytime soon
No way
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
However, if you're not ready to invest in a system, Palmetto's LightReach solar panel leasing program is another way to tap into the benefits of solar. Its no-money-down plans will lock you into a low monthly rate, protecting you against volatile pricing associated with dirty fuels.
Meanwhile, commenters on the Teslarati article had mixed reactions to the robotaxi launch.
"They've only tried to run without safety driver for a few days," one person wrote. "If FSD [Full Self-Driving] is really so great, why did it take so long for them to even dare trying this so late, and months after having hundreds of cars roaming around Austin with safety drivers?"
"That's how progress works. Lots of minor steps to the end goal," another suggested.
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