The first autonomous taxi test will be launched at the end of June 2025 in Austin (Texas) with about ten vehicles and a dedicated mobile application: the robotaxi application. According to reports, Tesla would have already completed the internal tests of the Robotaxi application system and, in the meantime, they circulate information according to which the company is accumulating its own fleet of Tesla Model Y vehicles used for this service, which is said to be the first autonomous taxis. Elon Musk’s ambitious plans suggest that Tesla could use this service in the future to compete or even replace suppliers like Uber.
Robotaxi app – Experimentation in Austin in June: The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, confirmed that the company will launch its promised service for some time RoboTaxi He started tests on public roads Already at the end of June of this yearprecisely in the city of Austin, Texas. Musk revealed in an interview with the CNBC that they will initially guide Austin near About 10 autonomous Tesla vehicleswhich will provide autonomous transport in a limited area of the city – in “The safest parts” Places, as he said. After a successful start, Tesla will be expected to quickly expand its fleet: They intend to increase the fleet to about 1,000 vehicles within a few months.. Initially, they will probably still be present in the vehicles security drivers For control, since Tesla underlines the importance of a gradual and safe implementation of the service. In the initial phase already existing models will be used (presumably Modelo and), but in the long term Tesla also includes special solutions autonomous two -seater vehicles without steering wheel and pedalsTherefore Cybercabwhose entry into production is scheduled for 2026.
The Robotaxi app is the future of mobility
Tesla presented a preview of his future Ride-Hailing Robotaxi app in the spring of 2025. The screenshot shows the user interface of a smartphone through which a user can book a Tesla autonomous taxi, similarly to Uber services: the path on the map and information on the incoming vehicle are visible. Tesla has already conducted in -depth tests internally: according to the company, Austin and San Francisco employees have so far completed more than 1,500 trips using the test app, traveling about 24,000 kilometers in the so -called “FSD Supervised” mode.
These internal tests are intended to develop and verify Fully autonomous driving software (FSD) And mobile applications for robotaxi before offering the service to the general public. Elon Musk confirmed in a recent company conference that Robotaxi application Ready for wider use, and the first service cycle to Austin will be accessible only by invitation For users selected before extending it to the rest of the population.
Autonomous driving, or FSD, is part of other solutions. Optimus, Spacex: everyone uses systems with artificial intelligence. In the background there is a technology similar to that of Grq Ai.
Cybercab – will be the first Tesla Model Y
Dedicated robotaxi and a “Used Tesla fleet”: Tesla is preparing for its future service also forming its own fleet of vehicles. Since 2019 Tesla is present in the United States It prevented customers from buying their vehicles after the lease contract expiressince Musk announced at the time that the returned vehicles would be used in a future robotaxi network: “You can’t buy them back, we want them back” Musk said in 2019, providing with confidence “A million robotaxi on the streets next year”. Although this bold forecast did not come true, Tesla received several thousand vehicles returned after the expiry of the leasing contract between 2019 and 2023: during this period, 1,000 vehicles were rented globally. about 314,000 Teslaequal to 4.4 % of all vehicles delivered. Instead of storing them for a disused robotaxi fleet, Tesla has regained most of these used vehicles. rendered profitable.
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The cybercab will arrive on the streets in 2026. Initially autonomous taxis will be the Tesla Model Y.
According to the agency Reuters The company added software updates (such as the function FSD, which is otherwise sold at around $ 8,000and other paid capacity updates) and sold them to new buyers at a significantly higher price than they would have obtained by purchasing the old leasing users. This practice, although unusual, was legal and proved to be profitable for Tesla, while maintaining alive the impression between some investors that the company was quickly preparing for the era of autonomous taxis.
In November 2024, Tesla silently revoked the prohibition of repurchase And he began to allow customers in leasing to regain vehicles, which indicates that the company has changed strategy due to delays in the introduction of robo-taxis and the drop in demand for used vehicles. However, Tesla for the initial launch of Robotaxi provides numerous vehicles for him – The June pilot project in Austin will be conducted with Tesla company vehicles and not with vehicles of private customers.
Tesla and Uber: joint competitors or vectors of the new mobility
Musk and Uber’s comments: Elon Musk stressed in an interview that Tesla has no intention of collaborating or purchasing existing platforms like Uber – instead wants to establish a completely own robotaxi network. He said he imagined a future in which “Instead of calling Uber, call an autonomous Tesla”which takes you to the destination without a human driver. Musk claims that Tesla has “Millions of vehicles capable of autonomous driving”therefore he sees an opportunity for the current Tesla owners of Join the Robotaxi fleet E Rent their vehicles when they don’t use them. – similar to the concept of Airbnb in the world of accommodation. This vision of a “sharing economy” for cars means that Tesla owners could earn money by renting their vehicles while Tesla manages the platform and technology.
Tesla will go into serious competition with Uber.
In the past Uber has expressed his willingness to collaborate with Tesla, but his CEO Dara Khosrowshahi admits that Musk “He wants to follow his way to the Robotaxi project”which in his opinion positions Uber as the future Competitor of Tesla in the field of autonomous transport. Uber and his competitor Lyft abandoned the development of their own autonomous driving system and are focusing on partnership (for example with Waymo), while Tesla focuses on its technology and infrastructure.
In June we will see the future and test the robotaxi application
The launch scheduled in June of the Robotaxi service in Austin will represent an important test for Tesla, which in recent years has concentrated all its efforts on autonomous driving. Musk stressed that “The only things that will count in the long term are autonomy and robot (the robot ‘optimus’)”indicating that he sees the future of the company’s value in robotaxi and artificial intelligence. Analysts warn that the marketing of autonomous vehicles is a challenge: from a technological, regulatory and financial point of view. The US regulatory body NHTSA is already investigating the safety of the Tesla FSD system and has sent detailed questions to the company regarding the planned robotaxi service, in particular as regards the operation in adverse and driver -free weather conditions.
The first domestic robots will be cars. And maybe you’ve already parked at home.
In Austin, Tesla still needs appropriate local permits and initially will provide a video surveillance system aboard the vehicle. Despite the challenges, a successful launch of Robotaxis would mean A turning point in mobility – with an autonomous fleet and millions of users ordering racing through the app, Tesla could potentially has transformed the transport market on request. The industry observes with trepidation if Tesla will be able to demonstrate in the second half of 2025 that its autonomous taxis are reliable and sufficiently safe for the general public – if they do, it could mark the beginning of a new competition for giants such as SuperIt is a step closer to the realization of Musk’s bold forecasts on a future without human drivers on our streets.
