Elon Musk drops tentative launch date for Tesla robotaxis
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Elon Musk drops tentative launch date for Tesla robotaxis
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced a tentative date for the public’s first ride in the company’s robotaxi. Musk said on Tuesday evening that Tesla will begin offering rides to the public “Tentatively, June 22” However, he noted that it’s not a date set in stone. Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles and would remain within geo-fenced areas of Austin. Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis, with Waymo offering rides through the Uber platform. The CEO suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotAxi service, writing: “Austin > > LA for robotaxa launch lol” He said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced a tentative date for the public’s first ride in the company’s robotaxi. Getty Images
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Elon Musk just dropped a tentative launch date for Tesla’s highly anticipated robotaxi service, which will compete with Alphabet’s Waymo in Austin.
Musk said on Tuesday evening, in response to a user on X, that Tesla will begin offering rides to the public “Tentatively, June 22.” However, he noted that it’s not a date set in stone.
“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk wrote. “First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28.”
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Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles and would remain within geo-fenced areas of Austin, meaning the vehicles wouldn’t be able to travel through every corner of the city. While Musk set June as a target month for the launch, the CEO has never specified a day until now.
Earlier today, Musk appeared to confirm one of the first sightings of a Tesla robotaxi in Austin by responding to a video floating around on X. The video showed a Tesla Model Y carrying a passenger without a human behind the wheel. The car was emblazoned with the “Robotaxi” logo on the right door panel.
“These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving,” Musk said on X.
In a follow-up post on X, Musk suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotaxi service, writing: “Austin > > LA for robotaxi launch lol.”
The CEO didn’t specify yet why Austin is more preferable, but, in general, Texas has fewer regulations around autonomous vehicles, and is far less dense than Los Angeles, with about a quarter of the population of the southern California city.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
With Tesla tentatively set to offer driverless rides to the public later this month, Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis.
Since March, Waymo has been offering autonomous rides through the Uber platform.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the first-quarter earnings call in May that the fleet of about 100 Waymo robotaxis is “now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of complete trips per day.”
In California, humans were quick to adopt robotaxis, as Waymo increased the number of paid rides from about 12,000 in August 2023 to 708,180 rides in March 2025.
In total, Waymo provided more than 5 million rides in three years, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.
A Waymo spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk said that the ramp-up for Tesla’s robotaxi service will be quick. In an interview with CNBC, the CEO said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
Musk often misses his own deadlines. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein previously told BI that Musk’s 2026 guidance is “a bit optimistic.”
“I think they’ll get there, but I think the software is going to take more iterations than they’re anticipating once they start testing a real robotaxi service,” he said.
Elon Musk just dropped a tentative date for Tesla’s robotaxi launch
Elon Musk announced a tentative launch date for Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin. The company will begin offering driverless rides to the public “Tentatively, June 22” Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles. Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis, as Waymo has been offering rides through the Uber platform in the city.. Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US by the end of 2026, but Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein told BI that Musk’s 2026 guidance is “a bit optimistic” Musk said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months, and that the ramp-up will be quick. In May, Waymo said its fleet of about 100 robotaxis is “now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of complete trips per day”
Elon Musk announced a tentative launch date for Tesla’s robotaxi service in Austin: June 22.
Tesla’s robotaxi will compete with Alphabet’s Waymo.
“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk wrote.
Elon Musk just dropped a tentative launch date for Tesla’s highly anticipated robotaxi service, which will compete with Alphabet’s Waymo in Austin.
Musk said on Tuesday evening, in response to a user on X, that Tesla will begin offering rides to the public “Tentatively, June 22.” However, he noted that it’s not a date set in stone.
“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk wrote. “First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28.”
Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles and would remain within geo-fenced areas of Austin, meaning the vehicles wouldn’t be able to travel through every corner of the city. While Musk set June as a target month for the launch, the CEO has never specified a day until now.
Earlier today, Musk appeared to confirm one of the first sightings of a Tesla robotaxi in Austin by responding to a video floating around on X. The video showed a Tesla Model Y carrying a passenger without a human behind the wheel. The car was emblazoned with the “Robotaxi” logo on the right door panel.
“These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving,” Musk said on X.
In a follow-up post on X, Musk suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotaxi service, writing: “Austin > > LA for robotaxi launch lol.”
The CEO didn’t specify yet why Austin is more preferable, but, in general, Texas has fewer regulations around autonomous vehicles, and is far less dense than Los Angeles, with about a quarter of the population of the southern California city.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
With Tesla tentatively set to offer driverless rides to the public later this month, Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis.
Since March, Waymo has been offering autonomous rides through the Uber platform.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the first-quarter earnings call in May that the fleet of about 100 Waymo robotaxis is “now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of complete trips per day.”
In California, humans were quick to adopt robotaxis, as Waymo increased the number of paid rides from about 12,000 in August 2023 to 708,180 rides in March 2025.
In total, Waymo provided more than 5 million rides in three years, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.
A Waymo spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk said that the ramp-up for Tesla’s robotaxi service will be quick. In an interview with CNBC, the CEO said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
Musk often misses his own deadlines. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein previously told BI that Musk’s 2026 guidance is “a bit optimistic.”
“I think they’ll get there, but I think the software is going to take more iterations than they’re anticipating once they start testing a real robotaxi service,” he said.
Read the original article on Business Insider
69 Days After 4/20: Elon Musk Confirms First Tesla Vehicles Will Drive Off The Factory Floor To Their Customers’ Houses On The 28th Of June, First Robotaxi Rides On The 22nd Of June
Elon Musk has announced the tentative launch date for Tesla’s first robotaxi rides. The service will be limited to heavily geofenced areas of Austin, Texas, at launch. The first Tesla vehicles will drive autonomously from the factory floor to the designated residences of their owners on June 28. The 28th of June falls exactly 69 days after the international marijuana day on the 20th of April (4/20). Elon Musk certainly possesses a quirky sense of humor, as the date is still tentative.
In what constitutes nothing short of a veritable milestone, Elon Musk has just announced the tentative launch date for Tesla’s first robotaxi rides, along with an intimation as to when Tesla vehicles will start rolling off the factory floor to their customers’ residences.
Tentatively, June 22. We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift. First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 11, 2025
To wit, Elon Musk has just announced via an X post that Tesla robotaxi rides will officially commence on the 22nd of June, while cautioning that the date is still tentative. Thereafter, on the 28th of June, the first Tesla vehicles will drive autonomously from the factory floor to the designated residences of their owners.
Interestingly, the 28th of June falls exactly 69 days after the international marijuana day on the 20th of April (4/20). Elon Musk certainly possesses a quirky sense of humor.
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Tesla robotaxis will leverage the unsupervised FSD that is slated to launch momentarily on HW4 vehicles. Elon Musk took pains to stress on Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call that HW4 cameras are able to count individual photons, reducing the vulnerability of Tesla’s FSD to visual impairments such as direct sun glare.
Even so, Tesla is not taking any chances. Recently, a Tesla robotaxi was spotted in Austin with a tail vehicle, suggesting that this arrangement might be the norm in the initial stages of the roll out at least. Moreover, as per leaked anecdotes, a remote operator will also be at hand to take over the unsupervised FSD at a moment’s notice. Finally, the service will be limited to heavily geofenced areas of Austin, Texas, at launch.
While these arrangements pretty much guarantee safety, they won’t make Tesla robotaxis competitive with Waymo, which currently operates a nationwide fleet of around 1,500 vehicles. Also, to cut costs, Waymo is preparing to switch from the pricey Jaguar I-Pace vehicles to the much more affordable Toyota vehicles.
Will you test Tesla’s robotaxi service if given the opportunity? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Elon Musk just dropped a tentative date for Tesla’s robotaxi launch
Tesla CEO Musk said the company will begin offering driverless rides to the public on June 22. Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles. Austin, Texas, has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis. Musk suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotaxi service, writing: “Austin > > LA for robotAxi launch lol” In an interview with CNBC, the CEO said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk wrote. “First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28.”
Musk previously said that the initial rollout would include 10 to 20 driverless Model Y vehicles and would remain within geo-fenced areas of Austin, meaning the vehicles wouldn’t be able to travel through every corner of the city. While Musk set June as a target month for the launch, the CEO has never specified a day until now.
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Earlier today, Musk appeared to confirm one of the first sightings of a Tesla robotaxi in Austin by responding to a video floating around on X. The video showed a Tesla Model Y carrying a passenger without a human behind the wheel. The car was emblazoned with the “Robotaxi” logo on the right door panel.
“These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving,” Musk said on X.
In a follow-up post on X, Musk suggested Austin was a better city than Los Angeles to start out a robotaxi service, writing: “Austin > > LA for robotaxi launch lol.”
The CEO didn’t specify yet why Austin is more preferable, but, in general, Texas has fewer regulations around autonomous vehicles, and is far less dense than Los Angeles, with about a quarter of the population of the southern California city.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
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With Tesla tentatively set to offer driverless rides to the public later this month, Austin has become a sort of battleground for robotaxis.
Since March, Waymo has been offering autonomous rides through the Uber platform.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during the first-quarter earnings call in May that the fleet of about 100 Waymo robotaxis is “now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of complete trips per day.”
In California, humans were quick to adopt robotaxis, as Waymo increased the number of paid rides from about 12,000 in August 2023 to 708,180 rides in March 2025.
In total, Waymo provided more than 5 million rides in three years, according to data from the California Public Utilities Commission.
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A Waymo spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk said that the ramp-up for Tesla’s robotaxi service will be quick. In an interview with CNBC, the CEO said that there will “probably” be 1,000 robotaxis within a few months. By the end of 2026, Musk predicted there could be more than one million self-driving Teslas in the US.
Musk often misses his own deadlines. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein previously told BI that Musk’s 2026 guidance is “a bit optimistic.”
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-launch-date-when-elon-musk-announces-june-222025-6