Tesla To Put Robotaxis On The Road By End Of June
Tesla is finally set to put their robotaxis on the road, with a small rollout planned in Austin, Texas, by the end of June. CEO Elon Musk confirmed the pilot will start with just ten cars using the company’s “FSD Unsupervised” software, a version of Tesla’s full self-driving system that doesn’t require a human behind the wheel. “It’s prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well and then scale it up,” Musk said. The cars will operate only in select areas of Austin, with no safety driver, but Tesla employees will monitor them remotely.
The move is seen as a key test for Tesla’s long-term strategy, as the company shifts focus from building cheaper EVs to betting big on autonomy and its humanoid robot, Optimus. Meanwhile, Tesla’s EV sales have dipped amid rising competition in the market and public backlash over Musk’s political ties, including his work with Donald Trump and the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has led major restructuring efforts in Washington.
Musk is also ramping up efforts in AI through his startup xAI, which recently merged with his social platform X. The company is building a massive data center in Memphis, nicknamed “Colossus,” and plans to deploy a million Nvidia chips there. When asked whether a Tesla-xAI merger might happen, Musk said it wasn’t currently planned, but “not out of the question.”
