Musk announced that Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi fleet is ready for public testing in select U.S. cities. Using FSD (Full Self-Driving) v12.9, the system aims to redefine urban transport.
AUSTIN, June 22 (Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab deployed a small group of self-driving taxis picking up paying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the “robotaxi launch” and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides.
The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker’s financial future.
Tesla tentatively plans to begin offering rides on its self-driving robotaxis to the public on June 22, CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday, as investors and fans of the electric vehicle maker eagerly await rollout of the long-promised service.
Musk has staked Tesla’s future on self-driving vehicles, pivoting away from plans to build a cheaper EV platform, and much of the company’s valuation hangs on that vision.
