Car industry Musk announces Robotaxi service for this month
Tesla boss Elon Musk is planning to launch the electric car manufacturer's first Robotaxi service on June 22.
11.06.2025, 08:20
SDA
However, the date could still be postponed as Tesla is "paranoid" about safety, Musk wrote on his online platform X. He had already announced that Tesla would initially only launch with 10 to 20 vehicles in one part of the Texan city of Austin.
On June 28, Tesla also plans to deliver a Model Y vehicle built in Austin directly to the buyer's door without a driver, Musk continued. According to previous information, Tesla intends to use standard Model Y vehicles for its Robotaxi service. This makes experts doubt the reliability of the autonomous Teslas. This is because Musk only wants to rely on cameras and dispense with the more expensive laser radars used by leading robotaxi company Waymo, for example.
Dispute over the right technology
The laser radars - also known as lidar - scan the vehicle's surroundings and can therefore recognize objects and people even in difficult lighting conditions. However, Musk would only have a cost advantage with cameras. He claims that most of Tesla's new vehicles already have everything they need on board to be self-driving cars. This is why Musk keeps talking about millions of autonomous Teslas that will soon be on the roads and portrays his company as the clear market leader of the future.
Waymo clear number one so far
Google's sister company Waymo currently makes more than 250,000 trips with passengers per week in four US cities with over 1,500 robotaxis.
Tesla previously demonstrated autonomous driving last fall at an event on the grounds of the Hollywood studio Warner Bros. with a robotaxi vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, the production of which was announced for next year. On Tuesday, a Tesla without a human behind the wheel was filmed in Austin. However, like Waymos, the vehicles will also be able to be controlled remotely.
