Tesla has date in mind for Austin Robotaxi launch: Report

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AUSTIN - Elon Musk is planning to begin Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin on June 12, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The new service would offer fully automated rides for hire within the city, steering the car manufacturer towards a driverless vehicle-centric model.

Tesla Robotaxi Launch Date

According to Bloomberg, the long-awaited program, which was generally poised for a June launch without a specific date announced, will hit Austin streets in June’s second week. Bloomberg cites a "person familiar with the matter" in their reporting.

The anonymous source reportedly informed Bloomberg that the June 12 date has been discussed internally and could still change.

In a previous statement, Musk said the program would begin with about 10 automated vehicles, followed by an expansion of thousands of vehicles if the test launch proves successful.

According to CNBC, Tesla has planned to use Model Y vehicles for the service, which they say will be equipped with "a forthcoming version of FSD (full self-driving) known as FSD Unsupervised."

Tesla's ride-hailing service is already live for some employees in Austin and San Francisco.

Tesla FSD Safety Concerns

Dig deeper:

With the announcement of the next-generation Tesla autopilot system, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a list of safety questions to the company earlier this month.

The concerns largely probe the efficacy of the autonomous cars' sensors and crash reporting, digging into how the artificial intelligence-equipped cabs will deal with severe weather, changing road conditions and other hazardous situations.

The NHTSA's letter says Tesla may be fined up to $27,874 per day if the agency does not receive a prompt response, with a maximum fine of $139,356,994.

The company's response is due by June 19. No statement has been released by the company regarding the agency's request.

Are Autonomous Teslas Safe?

On Monday, Tesla posted a vehicle safety report to their company's X account outlining their most recent analytics regarding Autopilot technology.

The graphs in the report show a visual representation of Teslas with FSD massively outpacing both U.S. averages and manned Teslas in a miles-to-accident ratio, based on data they collected from their vehicle fleets across the globe.

According to their report, their vehicle models have all achieved among the lowest overall probability of injury of any vehicles ever tested by the U.S. government's New Car Assessment Program.

The other side:

Recent reporting by the Associated Press cites anecdotal evidence of a current unsafe nature of Tesla's autonomous vehicles.

Among the incidents in the report, William Stein, a technology analyst at Truist Securities, recalled instances where FSD-equipped cars made illegal maneuvers in traffic. On one such occasion, Stein says a Tesla he was test driving made a left turn from a through lane while running a red light.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, is quoted as saying the autonomous tech is "not even close" to being ready for public use.

Robotaxi Competition

Currently, Waymo operates a public fully autonomous ride-hailing service that operates 24/7 with no human driver in the front seat, as well as offering services through Uber.

Waymo is also hounded by concerns of safety and public readiness, with a 2024 NHTSA probe investigating a total of 22 Waymo incidents, including 17 crashes or fires.

Bloomberg says the city of Austin doesn’t regulate self-driving vehicles, but has set up a task force that coordinates with Tesla and other autonomy companies, including Waymo.

What's next:

Upon expansion of the service, Musk has said he plans to incorporate a purpose-built vehicle known as Cybercab, which they say will be central to Tesla's business in the future.

The Source: Information in this article came from Bloomberg, Tesla, NHTSA, the Associated Press and previous FOX reporting.

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