Elon Musk says there's 'no need' for Tesla to buy Uber, and the reason is the company's rival to Google Waymo

Tesla
CEO
Elon Musk
dismissed speculation about acquiring
Uber
, saying the electric vehicle maker has "all the ingredients necessary" to launch its own
autonomous ride-hailing
fleet that will compete directly with
Waymo
and other self-driving services. In a CNBC interview, Musk outlined his vision for Tesla's autonomous ride-hailing service, describing a "combination of a Tesla-owned fleet and also enabling
Tesla owners
to be able to add or subtract their car to the fleet" for autonomous use. This would allow Tesla owners to earn money when they're not using their vehicles.
"I think it's maybe possible for Tesla owners to make more in allowing the car to be added to the self-driving fleet than it costs them in the lease," Musk told CNBC's
David Faber
, comparing the business model to "some combination of Airbnb and Uber."
Tesla's robotaxi service launching next month in Austin
After years of delays, Tesla plans to debut its invitation-only
robotaxi service
in Austin next month using its FSD Unsupervised software, which doesn't require a driver behind the wheel.
"We'll start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40," Musk said. "It will probably be at 1,000 within a few months."
When asked if Tesla needed to improve its technology before launching a large-scale robotaxi service, Musk was confident: "I don't think we're missing anything."
The announcement comes as competition in the autonomous ride-hailing space heats up. Alphabet's Waymo already offers robotaxis on Uber's platform in Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta, while Lyft has partnered with companies like May Mobility and Mobileye to begin offering autonomous vehicles this summer.
Tesla's entry into the autonomous ride-hailing market represents a significant expansion of its business model and potential revenue streams. With "millions of cars that will be able to operate autonomously," Musk believes Tesla can build a vast self-driving fleet without acquiring established ride-sharing companies like Uber.
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The Hindu

an hour ago

• The Hindu

How is Tesla expected to remotely control its robotaxis, and what are its limitations?

Tesla tiptoed into its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas on Sunday with about 10 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate within strict limits. The rides were being offered on Sunday for a flat fee of $4.20, CEO Elon Musk said in an X post, and social media influencers were seen booking and taking rides in the robotaxis in several Austin locations, according to videos reposted by Musk. Musk has said the company is being "super paranoid" about safety and that humans will remotely monitor the fleet, which also have safety monitors in front passenger seats. Remote access and control, known in the industry as "teleoperation," is used in varying degrees by the handful of robotaxi startups operating around the globe. The technology has clear advantages and important limitations. Here are some details of how it works: What is tele-operation? Teleoperation is the control of machines by humans in a different location, usually over a wireless network. It is used to train robots to operate autonomously, monitor their autonomous activity, and take over when required. The global robotaxi industry is still in test mode, as companies deploy the vehicles in limited geographic areas and continually adjust the artificial intelligence software that controls them. Teleoperation is often used to intervene when a vehicle is unsure of what to do. Alphabet's Waymo, for example, has a team of human "fleet response" agents who respond to questions from the Waymo Driver, its bot. "Much like phone-a-friend, when the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information," Waymo said in a blog post last year. Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik told Reuters, "the cars aren't being actively monitored," adding that the software is "the ultimate decision-maker." A Waymo video shows a car asking a remote operator whether a street with emergency response vehicles is open to traffic. When the human says yes, the vehicle proceeds. In contrast, other companies, such as Baidu's Apollo Go in China, have used fully remote backup drivers who can step in to virtually drive the vehicles. Baidu declined to comment. What are the limitations? Driving vehicles remotely on public roads has a major potential problem: it relies on cellular data connections that can drop or operate with a lag, disconnecting the vehicle from the remote driver in dangerous situations. Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said that approach could work for a small test deployment of 10 vehicles, such as Tesla's initial effort in Austin, but he called teleoperation "inherently unreliable technology." "Eventually you will lose connection at exactly the worst time," he said. "If they've done their homework, this won't ever happen for 10 cars. With a million cars, it's going to happen every day." Former Waymo CEO Krafcik agreed, adding that the time delay in cell signal makes remote driving "very risky." On the other hand, relying on the vehicle to reach out for help and allowing the vehicle to be the decision-maker are risky as well, Koopman said, as it does not guarantee the vehicle will make the right decision. Waymo declined to comment on the limitations of its approach. Koopman also noted there are limits to how many vehicles one person can safely monitor. A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers had asked Tesla on Wednesday to delay its robotaxi launch until September, when a new autonomous-driving law is scheduled to take effect. The Austin-area lawmakers said in a letter that delaying the launch "is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations." Musk for years has promised, without delivering, that its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver assistance software would graduate to completely self-driving and control robotaxis. This year, he said Tesla would roll out a paid service in Austin underpinned by an "unsupervised" version of the software. "Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin," Musk told analysts and investors in January. In May, he told CNBC that the robotaxi would only operate in parts of Austin that are safe for it, would avoid difficult intersections, and would use humans to monitor the vehicles. What those teleoperators are doing is not clear. For years inside Tesla, company executives have expected to use teleoperators who could take over in case of trouble, said one person familiar with the matter. For instance, if a robotaxi were stuck in a crowded pedestrian area and confused about what to do next, a human teleoperator could take over and guide it, the source said. Tesla advertised for teleoperation positions, saying the company needs the ability to "access and control" autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots remotely. Such employees can "remotely perform complex and intricate tasks," it said in the advertisements. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. "We are being super paranoid about safety," Musk said in a post ahead of the launch.

Indian Express

an hour ago

• Indian Express

Tesla rolls out robotaxis in Texas test

Tesla deployed a small group of self-driving taxis picking up paying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the 'robotaxi launch' and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides. The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future. He called the moment the 'culmination of a decade of hard work' in a post on his social-media platform X and noted that 'the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.' Teslas were spotted early Sunday in a neighborhood called South Congress with no one in the driver's seat but one person in the passenger seat. The automaker planned a small trial with about 10 vehicles and front-seat riders acting as 'safety monitors,' though it remained unclear how much control they had over the vehicles. In recent days, the automaker sent invites to a select group of influencers for a carefully monitored robotaxi trial in a limited zone. The rides are being offered for a flat fee of $4.20, Musk said on X. Tesla investor and social-media personality Sawyer Merritt posted videos on X Sunday afternoon showing him ordering, getting picked up and taking a ride to a nearby bar and restaurant, Frazier's Long and Low, using a Tesla robotaxi app. If Tesla succeeds with the small deployment, it still faces major challenges in delivering on Musk's promises to scale up quickly in Austin and other cities, industry experts say. It could take years or decades for Tesla and self-driving rivals, such as Alphabet's Waymo, to fully develop a robotaxi industry, said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor with expertise in autonomous-vehicle technology. A successful Austin trial for Tesla, he said, would be 'the end of the beginning – not the beginning of the end.' Most of Tesla's sky-high stock value now rests on its ability to deliver robotaxis and humanoid robots, according to many industry analysts. Tesla is by far the world's most valuable automaker. As Tesla's robotaxi-rollout date approached, Texas lawmakers moved to enact autonomous-vehicle rules. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Friday signed legislation requiring a state permit to operate self-driving vehicles. The law, which takes effect September 1, signals that state officials from both parties want the driverless-vehicle industry to proceed cautiously. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. The governor's office declined to comment. The law softens the state's previous anti-regulation stance on autonomous vehicles. A 2017 Texas law specifically prohibited cities from regulating self-driving cars. The new law requires autonomous-vehicle operators to get approval from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before operating on public streets without a human driver. It gives state authorities the power to revoke permits for operators they deem a public danger. The law also requires firms to provide information on how first responders can deal with their driverless vehicles in emergency situations. The law's permit requirements for an 'automated motor vehicle' are not onerous but require firms to attest their vehicles can operate legally and safely. It defines an automated vehicle as having at least 'Level 4' autonomous-driving capability under a recognized standard, meaning it can operate with no human driver under specified conditions. Level 5 autonomy is the top level and means a car can drive itself anywhere, under any conditions. Compliance remains far easier than in some states, notably California, which requires submission of vehicle-testing data under state oversight. Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who focuses on autonomous driving, said it appears any company that meets minimum application requirements will get a Texas permit – but could also lose it if problems arise. 'California permits are hard to get, easy to lose,' he said. 'In Texas, the permit is easy to get and easy to lose.' The Tesla robotaxi rollout comes after more than a decade of Musk's unfulfilled promises to deliver self-driving Teslas. Musk has said Tesla would be 'super paranoid' about robotaxi safety in Austin, including operating in limited areas. The service in Austin will have other restrictions as well. Tesla plans to avoid bad weather, difficult intersections, and will not carry anyone below age 18. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been risky and expensive. GM's Cruise was shut down after a serious accident. Regulators are closely watching Tesla and its rivals, Waymo and Amazon's Zoox. Tesla is also bucking the young industry's standard practice of relying on multiple technologies to read the road, using only cameras. That, Musk says, will be safe and much less expensive than lidar and radar systems added by rivals.

Mint

an hour ago

• Mint

Elon Musk's Tesla Robotaxi launches in Austin: Here's how much it costs

After a decade of unfulfilled promises, Elon Musk's Tesla finally began rolling out its driverless Robotaxi service in Austin. However, the first few rides were limited to a select group of social media influencers and content creators who are considered to be close to the company. Musk announced on X that the initial riders are being charged a flat fee of $4.20 per trip, but the long-term pricing structure remains unclear. Robotaxis are currently only available in a geofenced area of the city from 6 am to midnight. According to the terms of use posted by some of the first riders, the Robotaxi service may be limited or unavailable in bad weather. The Tesla CEO stated that Robotaxi launch was the 'culmination of a decade of hard work.' He also stated that both the AI chip running Robotaxi and the software teams were built from scratch within Tesla. Soon after Musk's official announcement, social media was filled with videos of people trying out Robotaxis showing a Model Y SUV running short distance trips with no driver in sight and only one passenger in the rear seats. Ahead of Tesla's planned rollout date, Texas lawmakers moved to enact an act called autonomous vehicle rules that requires a state permit to run self-driving vehicles, Reuters reported. The law was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday and takes effect from 1 September. The law also gives the state power to revoke permits for operators it deems a public danger. Tesla hasn't yet revealed when Robotaxi service will be available to use by the general public but Musk has promised to take the service quickly to other US cities in the near future. In Austin, specifically, Robotaxi faces a crowded market with Google's Waymo already operational with a partnership with Uber while Amazon's Zoox is also running tests there.