Tesla is finally ready to roll out its robotaxi service in the state of Texas.
Next month, the pilot project using autonomous vehicles will be launched in Austin, Texas. Initially, the company will limit their operating zone to certain areas of the city and launch only about 10 vehicles equipped with the Unsupervised Full-Self Driving system.
Elon Musk stated that Tesla plans to gradually expand the robotaxi fleet if tests are successful. He also expressed confidence that by the end of 2026, there could be hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million, autonomous Teslas on the roads in the U.S. However, as always with Musk's forecasts, we'll have to wait and see if these plans materialize.
«We will start with a small number of cars, make sure everything works properly, and then scale the service», — said Musk.
The company does not plan to purchase services like Uber, as it believes it already has everything necessary for a successful launch of its own robotaxi network. In addition to its own fleet, Tesla will allow private owners of its cars to connect them to the system so they can function as robotaxis when not in use.
«We have millions of vehicles that can operate autonomously. It will be a combination of Tesla's own fleet and the ability for owners to add their cars to the system», — Musk added.
While Tesla lags behind Waymo in the field of autonomous taxis, the launch of the pilot project in Austin may be the first step in changing the situation. The success of this initiative will largely depend on the reliability of the new control system and public reaction to autonomous taxis.