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Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A lot at stake': Tesla launches its driverless robotaxis
Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service on the streets of Austin following almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker. Several of the initial users live-streamed video as they downloaded the ride-hailing app and went on their first driverless taxi trips. Shortly after 2pm local time, an online influencer who goes by Bearded Tesla showed the empty driver seat during a ride in a red Model Y SUV that lasted just over 10 minutes. 'It was smooth,' one of the riders said on the video after the trip ended. The users with early access are being charged a $US4.20 flat rate for rides, Musk said earlier in a social-media post. Tesla hand-picked the initial riders, meaning the general public will still have to wait. The launch is beginning modestly, with just a handful of vehicles limited to a small area of the city. The low-key rollout has nonetheless been highly anticipated by investors, who are counting on the new business line to revive a company battered by flagging sales and a consumer backlash against Musk. The Tesla chief executive officer is betting the company's future on autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots — buzzy but still largely unproven markets. Loading 'This is the first true test,' Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management, said in an interview. 'Anything that happens will be amplified, especially the negative. There's a lot at stake.' Tesla had ramped up testing recently in the Texas state capital, where Model Y SUVs with manufacturer plates have been spotted regularly in the south and southeast portions of the city.
The Age
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Age
‘A lot at stake': Tesla launches its driverless robotaxis
Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service on the streets of Austin following almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker. Several of the initial users live-streamed video as they downloaded the ride-hailing app and went on their first driverless taxi trips. Shortly after 2pm local time, an online influencer who goes by Bearded Tesla showed the empty driver seat during a ride in a red Model Y SUV that lasted just over 10 minutes. 'It was smooth,' one of the riders said on the video after the trip ended. The users with early access are being charged a $US4.20 flat rate for rides, Musk said earlier in a social-media post. Tesla hand-picked the initial riders, meaning the general public will still have to wait. The launch is beginning modestly, with just a handful of vehicles limited to a small area of the city. The low-key rollout has nonetheless been highly anticipated by investors, who are counting on the new business line to revive a company battered by flagging sales and a consumer backlash against Musk. The Tesla chief executive officer is betting the company's future on autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots — buzzy but still largely unproven markets. Loading 'This is the first true test,' Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management, said in an interview. 'Anything that happens will be amplified, especially the negative. There's a lot at stake.' Tesla had ramped up testing recently in the Texas state capital, where Model Y SUVs with manufacturer plates have been spotted regularly in the south and southeast portions of the city.
Business Times
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Business Times
Tesla to roll out robotaxis in overdue step towards Musk dream
Tesla is rolling out its first robotaxis on the streets of Austin after almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker. The launch of a driverless taxi service on Sunday (Jun 22) is set to begin modestly, with a handful of vehicles in limited areas of the city. Tesla hand-picked initial riders who are expected to offer feedback on the experience, so the general public will still have to wait. The low-key rollout has nonetheless been highly anticipated by investors, who are counting on the new business line to revive a company battered by flagging sales and a consumer backlash against Musk. The Tesla chief executive officer is betting the company's future on autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots – buzzy but still largely unproven markets. 'This is the first true test,' Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management, said in an interview. 'Anything that happens will be amplified, especially the negative. There's a lot at stake.' Tesla has ramped up testing recently in the Texas state capital, where Model Y SUVs with manufacturer plates have been spotted regularly in the south and south-east portions of the city. Musk recently promoted a video on social media of one of its vehicles driving in Austin with nobody behind the wheel. Some details of the launch emerged in recent days after several social-media users – known for promoting Tesla – revealed that they were selected for early access to a new robotaxi app and the ride-hailing service. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up According to the use parameters posted by one account, robotaxis will be available between 6 am and midnight every day within unspecified geofenced areas of the city, not including the airport. The service may be limited or unavailable in foul weather. A 'safety monitor' will be sitting in the front passenger seat for rides during the early access period. Musk has said Tesla would initially roll out 10 to 20 vehicles before expanding to a thousand within a few months, and later introducing a purpose-built Cybercab with no pedals or steering wheel. The CEO has a history of overpromising in the area of autonomy. After hinting at the possibility of an autonomous-car service in a business plan in 2016, he said three years later that Tesla customers would be able to utilise their vehicles as robotaxis by 2020. Tesla has long offered a system called Full Self Driving that, despite the name, requires continual driver supervision and doesn't make vehicles autonomous. The company has said it will operate its robotaxi network using an 'unsupervised' version of the software that will not require a human driver to monitor. Safety is a crucial factor in driverless car operations. Incidents that injure or kill people can bring regulatory crackdowns and negative attention to companies. Cruise, the now-defunct autonomy business of General Motors, grounded its fleet in late 2023 and had its operating licence suspended in California following an accident that injured a pedestrian. Uber Technologies ceased testing self-driving vehicles after one of its SUVs struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in 2018. Less than three years later, the company agreed to sell its self-driving business. Austin has become a hot spot for autonomous vehicle operations. Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet, is scaling up in the city through a partnership with Uber. Zoox is also testing there. In Texas, Tesla faces few restrictions to operate autonomous vehicles. Driverless vehicles are required to be equipped with cameras, have insurance and follow traffic rules. A rideshare licence in not currently required. At the federal level, authorities are taking steps to ease the deployment of autonomous vehicles without driver controls such as steering wheels or pedals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this month that it will streamline the process to get an exemption for such vehicles, which under current policy has resulted in lengthy processing times that can last years. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Tesla to roll out robotaxis in overdue step toward Musk dream
The launch of a driverless taxi service on June 22 is set to begin modestly, with a handful of vehicles in limited areas of the city. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK – Tesla is rolling out its first robotaxis on the streets of Austin, Texas, after almost a decade of hype from Mr Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker. The launch of a driverless taxi service on June 22 is set to begin modestly, with a handful of vehicles in limited areas of the city. Tesla hand-picked initial riders who are expected to offer feedback on the experience, so the general public will still have to wait. The low-key rollout has nonetheless been highly anticipated by investors, who are counting on the new business line to revive a company battered by flagging sales and a consumer backlash against Mr Musk. The Tesla chief executive is betting the company's future on autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots – buzzy but still largely unproven markets. 'This is the first true test,' Mr Gene Munster, managing partner of Deepwater Asset Management, said in an interview. 'Anything that happens will be amplified, especially the negative. There's a lot at stake.' Tesla has ramped up testing recently in the Texas state capital, where Model Y SUVs with manufacturer plates have been spotted regularly in the south and southeast portions of the city. Mr Musk recently promoted a video on social media of one of its vehicles driving in Austin with nobody behind the wheel. Some details of the launch emerged in recent days after several social-media users – known for promoting Tesla – revealed that they were selected for early access to a new robotaxi app and the ride-hailing service. According to the use parameters posted by one account, robotaxis will be available between 6 a.m. and midnight every day within unspecified geofenced areas of the city, not including the airport. The service may be limited or unavailable in foul weather. A 'safety monitor' will be sitting in the front passenger seat for rides during the early access period. Mr Musk has said Tesla would initially roll out 10 to 20 vehicles before expanding to a thousand within a few months, and later introducing a purpose-built Cybercab with no pedals or steering wheel. The CEO has a history of overpromising in the area of autonomy. After hinting at the possibility of an autonomous-car service in a business plan in 2016, he said three years later that Tesla customers would be able to utilize their vehicles as robotaxis by 2020. Tesla has long offered a system called Full Self Driving that, despite the name, requires continual driver supervision and doesn't make vehicles autonomous. The company has said it will operate its robotaxi network using an 'unsupervised' version of the software that will not require a human driver to monitor. Safety is a crucial factor in driverless car operations. Incidents that injure or kill people can bring regulatory crackdowns and negative attention to companies. Cruise, the now-defunct autonomy business of General Motors Co., grounded its fleet in late 2023 and had its operating license suspended in California following an accident that injured a pedestrian. Uber Technologies Inc. ceased testing self-driving vehicles after one of its SUVs struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in 2018. Less than three years later, the company agreed to sell its self-driving business. Austin has become a hot spot for autonomous vehicle operations. Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., is scaling up in the city through a partnership with Uber. Inc.'s Zoox is also testing there. In Texas, Tesla faces few restrictions to operate autonomous vehicles. Driverless vehicles are required to be equipped with cameras, have insurance and follow traffic rules. A rideshare license in not currently required. At the federal level, authorities are taking steps to ease the deployment of autonomous vehicles without driver controls like steering wheels or pedals. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this month that it will streamline the process to get an exemption for such vehicles, which under current policy has resulted in lengthy processing times that can last years. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Khaleej Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Apple under pressure to shine after stumbling on AI efforts
Pressure is on Apple to show it hasn't lost its magic despite broken promises to ramp up iPhones with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as rivals race ahead with the technology. Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off on Monday in Silicon Valley. The event comes a year after the tech titan said a suite of AI features it dubbed "Apple Intelligence" was heading for iPhones, including an improvement of its much criticised Siri voice assistant. "Apple advertised a lot of features as if they were going to be available, and it just didn't happen," noted Emarketer senior analyst Gadjo Sevilla. Instead, Apple delayed the rollout of the Siri upgrade, with hopes that it will be available in time for the next iPhone release, expected in the fall. "I don't think there is going to be that much of a celebratory tone at WWDC," the analyst told AFP. "It could be more of a way for Apple to recover some credibility by showing where they're headed." Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements, including a rumored overhaul of its operating systems for its line of devices. "The bottom line is Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift, then over-promised features, and is now racing to catch up," Gene Munster and Brian Baker of Deepwater Asset Management wrote in a WWDC preview note. Rumors also include talk that Apple may add GenAI partnerships with Google or Perplexity to an OpenAI alliance announced a year ago. 'Double black eye' Infusing its lineup with AI is only one of Apple's challenges. Developers, who build apps and tools to run on the company's products, may be keen for Apple to loosen its tight control of access to iPhones. "There's still a lot of strife between Apple and developers," Sevilla said. "Taking 30 percent commissions from them and then failing to deliver on promises for new functionality—that's a double black eye." A lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games ended with Apple being ordered to allow outside payment systems to be used at the US App Store, but developers may want more, according to the analyst. "Apple does need to give an olive branch to the developer community, which has been long-suffering," Sevilla said. "They can't seem to thrive within the restrictive guardrails that Apple has been putting up for decades now." As AI is incorporated into Apple software, the company may need to give developers more ability to sync apps to the platform, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. "Maybe with AI it's the first time that Apple needs to rethink the open versus closed ecosystem," Milanesi said. Apple on defensive Adding to the WWDC buildup is that the legendary designer behind the iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to create a potential rival device for engaging with AI. "It puts Apple on the defensive because the key designer for your most popular product is saying there is something better than the iPhone," Sevilla said. While WWDC has typically been a software-focused event, Apple might unveil new hardware to show it is still innovating, the analyst speculated. And while unlikely to come up at WWDC, Apple has to deal with tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump in his trade war with China, a key market for sales growth as well as the place where most iPhones are made. Trump has also threatened to hit Apple with tariffs if iPhone production wasn't moved to the US, which analysts say is impossible given the costs and capabilities. "The whole idea of having an American-made iPhone is a pipe dream; you'd have to rewrite the rules of global economics," said Sevilla. One of the things Apple has going for it is that its fans are known for their loyalty and likely to remain faithful regardless of how much time it takes the company to get its AI act together, Milanesi said. "Do people want a smarter Siri? Yeah," Milanesi said. "But if you are in Apple, you're in Apple and you'll continue to buy their stuff."
