The time has come! As we all knew, Elon Musk’s Tesla had projected to unveil its robotaxi service, and the company began with serving clients from Austin, Texas, the new headquarters post-2021. The vision for fully autonomous driving by Tesla is now a reality, as one of its milestones is being achieved on June 22 with select users being able to enjoy their ride in Model Y Robotaxis.
Musk has announced that a limited number of vehicles will be available, declaring restatement goals focused around achieving steady growth and expansion acceleration over time. Unlike traditional rideshares where cars are hailed at any location within the coverage zone, these automated transports will operate from geofenced pickupspots in Austin only. Access via the newly launched Robotaxi app would only be granted to early access testers who hold invite codes (mostly Tesla enthusiasts and investors) during specified hours on Saturdays.

Autonomously driven vehicles had been under speculation for a few years. Musk dropped a teaser video earlier this year. Encouraging signs continued to pop up earlier this month when it was revealed that steering wheels might not be necessary anymore as passengers begin using fully autonomous cars without human drivers during their trips. For other companies working towards dominating the EV market, this serves as a critical leap forward.
The pilot program has received criticism and concern. NHTSA is following closely Tesla’s plans to evaluate the safety of the robotaxis. Actually, earlier this year, the agency shifted focus to Austin, with inquiries about Tesla’s evaluation procedures.
Tesla’s actions come along with rising concerns about autonomous vehicles because of reports that point out crashes involving a Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. Also, some other local lawmakers are concerned over new Texas legislation that provides oversight for commercial autonomous vehicles and have suggested postponing it until after September 1st.
With all these difficulties ahead, Musk seems to be the only one believing in things because he thinks that if successfully implemented, it could propel Tesla’s market value beyond $2 trillion by 2026. With Waymo operating in multiple major cities before them, this planned service might just usher in a future dominated by autonomous vehicles.