Tesla carried out its “lowkey” launch of its robotaxi service in Austin (Texas) on Sunday, for a select number of people.
Both Elon Musk and Tesla used a number of tweets on X (formerly Twitter) to announce the launch, which saw a small number of invited shareholders, analysts, and pro-Tesla influencers participating in rides that cost a “flat fee” of $4.20 (£3.14). The service was not open to the general public at the time of writing.
Tesla had promised a robotaxi service in June, and ahead of the launch Tesla in May had sent a vehicle onto Austin roads without a safety driver for the first time. A Tesla engineer however was riding in the passenger seat of a Model Y SUV that drove without remote operation.
Elon Musk congratulated the Tesla teams on the successful launch, which he said was a “culmination of a decade of hard work.” Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.
t should be noted that Tesla’s robotaxi service does not yet include the two seater ‘Cybercab’ that Musk had touted last year during the robotaxi launch, and it has a human “safety monitor” in the passenger seat who can operate a kill switch.
Tesla also only operated 10 to 20 Model Y Tesla vehicles, and the rides are said to be limited to a relatively safe geofenced area of Austin that has been thoroughly mapped by the firm. This area is said to avoid highways, airports, and complex intersections.
According to media reports, in some cases Tesla is also operating chase cars and remote drivers as additional backup.
Tesla also launched a webpage that outlines rules and guidelines of the service, and gives users a form to register their interest
Source- Silicon News
