Tesla to Begin Limited Robotaxi Trials in Austin by June, Says Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced in an interview with CNBC that the company plans to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, by the end of June 2025. The service will initially deploy about 10 Model Y vehicles equipped with a new version of Tesla’s Full Self Driving software, known as FSD Unsupervised. These vehicles will operate within a geofenced area, and while no human safety drivers will be present in the cars, Tesla employees will monitor them remotely. Musk emphasized the importance of starting on a small scale and scaling up if operations go smoothly and without incidents. The company aims to expand the service to cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco after the Austin trial. Musk also reiterated his commitment to leading Tesla for at least the next five years. He addressed Tesla’s recent sales dip, attributing it to factory retooling for an updated Model Y. Despite criticism over his political affiliations and advisory role to Donald Trump, Musk highlighted a recent rebound in Tesla demand. Tesla’s approach to autonomy, focused on AI and camera-based vision systems rather than lidar or radar, contrasts with competitors like Waymo, which already operates driverless commercial services across the U.S.