Ten years after CEO Elon Musk started making — and breaking — numerous promises regarding his company’s ability to operate such a service, Tesla has begun offering rides in driverless Model Y SUVs in Austin.
Musk’s opinion that it is feasible to safely deploy completely autonomous vehicles utilizing only cameras and end-to-end AI will be put to the test for the first time with this rollout, which is different from other companies in the market like Waymo.
The rides are finally coming, for a flat cost of $4.20 per ride, which Musk has been hinting at for months, according to a number of films posted on social media and city sources on Sunday.
In the last week, Tesla invited verified clients to early access, and on Sunday, they were able to download and utilize the new robotaxi app to hail rides. The number of recipients of this invitation is unknown. However, posts on Musk’s social networking site X reveal that a large number of them were sent to the most vocal online supporters of Tesla.
The invitations validate that the service would run daily from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., but “may be limited or unavailable in the event of adverse weather,” as stated in a new robotaxi information page posted on Tesla’s website on June 22. Notably, a Tesla employee will serve as a “safety monitor” by occupying the right front passenger seat.
The robotaxi information page also covers general rider guidelines, how to report a missing item, and how to download the app. The type of details that Waymo, the Alphabet-owned AV business that runs commercial robotaxis in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin, has traditionally offered are nonetheless glossed over.
Musk said the robotaxi service will start out small. About ten 2025 Model Y SUVs will make up the initial fleet, which will operate in a specific region of South Austin. Ed Niedermeyer, author of “Ludicrous, The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors,” who is in Austin to see the robotaxi launch, has firsthand knowledge of the situation. (Niedermeyer and Kirsten Korosec, editor of TechCrunch, co-host The Autonocast.)
Near Oltorf Street in South Austin, Neidermeyer discovered what looks to be a Tesla robotaxi depot—a plain parking area with a few trees. He saw a number of autonomous Model Ys coming and going from the parking lot the day before the launch, all of which had an employee behind the wheel. There were also clusters of additional Tesla Model Y cars parked there, the majority of which had manufacturer plates.
He saw the branded Tesla Model Y robotaxis leaving the holding area this morning, this time with the worker in the front passenger seat. It had not yet picked up a rider when he saw one of the branded robotaxis abruptly apply the brakes twice, one in the center of an intersection. The reason behind the vehicle’s behavior is unknown. But according to a video that TechCrunch saw and that was later uploaded to YouTube, both incidents happened as the Tesla drove by police cars that were parked in lots next to the road.
Information gaps
In a few interviews and postings on X prior to the debut, Musk gave tidbits of information regarding the Tesla robotaxi. As of right now, the company’s most ardent supporters have supplied almost all of the information regarding the robotaxi launch.
Actually, Tesla has made a concerted effort to keep the robotaxi service a secret. With the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Tesla attempted to thwart TechCrunch’s request for public records. According to the news agency, the corporation has also attempted to prevent the city of Austin from complying with a records request made by Reuters.
Taylor White, Tesla’s senior counsel on infrastructure, wrote to the Texas Attorney General’s office in April, saying, “Tesla wants to be as transparent as possible, but as explained further below, some of the requested information cannot be released because it is confidential information, trade secrets, and/or business information exchanged with the TxDOT in conjunction with conducting business with TxDOT.”
The company’s employment of a human “safety monitor” is one of the more intriguing rollout tactics.
The function of these safety monitors and their level of control, if any, are unknown. If the software is about to do anything incorrectly, these staff members are probably not supposed to try to stop it. However, if that does occur, they might have access to a kill switch that can stop the vehicle.
A human safety operator has historically been behind the wheel of autonomous vehicles like Waymo and old Cruise to test their particular self-driving technology, while a second engineer sits in the front passenger seat. That could eventually be lowered to just one passenger before they are removed completely. Traditionally, this procedure was carried out at the testing stage rather than during business operations.
The futuristic cars known as Cybercabs, which were unveiled on October 10, 2024, are not being used by Tesla. Rather, a new, “unsupervised” version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is installed in the 2025 Tesla Model Y cars, according to Musk.
By default, Tesla will not use its in-cabin camera while driving. According to the corporation, it will only be utilized in an emergency or when a rider seeks assistance. After a ride is over, it will use the camera to “check Robotaxi’s preparedness for its next trip.”
Although it states that it “may suspend or terminate Robotaxi access” if riders break its rules, such as if they “disseminate content on a social media platform or similar medium depicting a violation of these Rules or misuse of the Robotaxi,” Tesla is urging early access users to record their experiences with photos and videos. (This includes passengers committing to abstaining from alcohol, drugs, smoking, vaping, and using the robotaxi in conjunction with criminal activity.)
Ashok Elluswamy, the leader of Tesla’s self-driving team, shared a picture of the “Robotaxi launch party” from a secret location on X, where Musk and other Tesla officials celebrated the milestone.
“Congratulations on a successful @Robotaxi launch, @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams! culmination of ten years of diligent labor,” Musk stated.
However, on Sunday, at least one rider shared a story of a time when Tesla’s remote support staff had to provide assistance. Although what transpired during that ride is unclear at first, the same rider subsequently reported that it was extremely smooth.
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