Tesla is set to achieve a significant milestone in autonomous driving, with CEO Elon Musk announcing a tentative target of June 22, 2025, for rolling out its first fully autonomous Robotaxi.
“Tentatively, June 22,” said Musk in reply to Owen Sparks who asked when the first public rides will start. “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” said Musk.
“First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28,” added Musk. This means a Tesla that can drive itself from the factory to your home is going to be a reality by the end of the month.
The hype for the robotaxi launch was sent sky high as today a video showed a self-driving new Model Y, without a driver behind the wheel, but only someone in the passenger seat.
This development is part of Tesla’s broader vision to revolutionize urban mobility through its Robotaxi network, a driverless ride-hailing service powered by its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. The current version of FSD is Supervised for testers. The robotaxi version will not have a human operator.
Tesla’s Robotaxi initiative has been a cornerstone of its long-term strategy since Elon Musk first announced plans in 2019, predicting a million robotaxis on the road by 2020. While those ambitious timelines were not met due to technical and regulatory challenges, Tesla has continued to refine its FSD technology, which relies on advanced AI, neural networks, cameras, and sensors to navigate complex driving environments. The Robotaxi project aims to eliminate the need for human drivers, reducing operating costs and offering an affordable, efficient transportation-as-a-service (TaaS) model.
The Tesla Cybercab, a two-seater autonomous vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, was unveiled at the “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024. Alongside it, Tesla introduced the Robovan, a larger autonomous vehicle capable of carrying up to 20 passengers.
Both vehicles are designed to operate within Tesla’s planned Robotaxi network, with existing Tesla models like the Model Y also expected to serve as robotaxis after software updates and regulatory approval. The initial rollout is planned as a controlled pilot in Austin, Texas, starting with a small fleet of 10-20 Model Y vehicles, potentially expanding to cities like Palo Alto.
