Today's Edition
NEW YORK (AFP)
Tesla is expected to begin offering robotaxi service Sunday in Austin, an initial step that Elon Musk's backers believe could lead to the company's next growth wave.
The launch -- which comes as Musk refocuses on his business ventures following a controversial stint in Donald Trump's administration -- will employ the Model Y sport utility vehicle rather than Tesla's much-touted Cybercab, which is still under development.
The long-awaited launch follows the dramatic meltdown earlier this month in relations between Musk and Trump, which saw a cascade of bitter attacks from both men.
Since then, Musk has publicly expressed regret for some of his statements, while his company's Texas operation has readied the Austin push -- part of a major drive on autonomous technology and artificial intelligence that Tesla bulls believe will yield huge profits.
Tesla has seen profits plunge 71 percent in the first quarter of the year following poor sales in several markets.
In picking Austin for the debut of the autonomous vehicle (AV) service, Musk is opting for a US state known for its company-friendly approach to regulation.
An Austin website listed six autonomous vehicle companies at various stages of operation: ADMT (Volkswagen), AVRide, Tesla, Zoox (Amazon), Motional (Hyundai) and Waymo (Alphabet/Google).
Mus said earliuer that Tesla would probably only operate 10 autonomous vehicles the first week.
But that number will rise to perhaps 1,000 “within a few months,” Musk told CNBC. "And then we will expand to other cities.... San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio."
The service will be offered from 6:00 am until midnight and will be available to "early access" users on an invitation-only basis in a geofenced area, Tesla owner Sawyer Merritt said Friday on Musk's X platform, adding that Tesla had given him permission to release the information.
Musk last fall unveiled the Cybercab, which has no steering wheel or pedals. But production is not expected to begin on the vehicle until 2026.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in October 2024 opened a probe into Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software after receiving four reports of crashes.
