The service will launch in Austin using Model Y vehicles
Tesla appears ready to roll out its long-anticipated robotaxi service within June, as planned. Elon Musk announced via X that the pilot launch is “tentatively” scheduled for 22 June in Austin, Texas. “We are being extremely cautious regarding safety, so the date might change,” Musk clarified. He also added that the first autonomous trip — from Tesla’s factory to a customer’s home — is scheduled for 28 June.
Musk also reposted a video showing a Tesla Model Y driving through Austin without a driver. The short clip captures the vehicle waiting for pedestrians to cross before making a left turn at an intersection.
BREAKING: First ever Tesla Model Y robotaxi with no-one in the drivers seat spotted testing on public roads in Austin, Texas!
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) June 10, 2025
Tesla's new "Robotaxi" wordmark/logo is on the side of the vehicle. https://t.co/IhEzPx5PIb pic.twitter.com/zq4ZmiMqDg
The Cybercab will follow in a later phase
Back in October, Tesla unveiled its fully autonomous robotaxi, named Cybercab, which features no steering wheel or pedals. At the time, Musk stated the vehicle would cost “under $30,000” and that production would begin “before 2027.” He also mentioned that widespread deployment of unsupervised autonomous driving would start in 2025 with the Model 3 and Model Y, initially in Texas and California, before expanding the robotaxi fleet.
In the months that followed, Musk repeatedly confirmed that the service would begin in June in Austin. Tesla had already begun testing in the San Francisco Bay Area using staff members, with a safety driver present in the vehicles.
In May, Musk posted on X that Tesla had been testing driverless Model Y vehicles on the streets of Austin “in recent days, with zero incidents.”
According to Bloomberg, the Austin launch will begin on a limited scale, with 10 to 20 vehicles, and the initial operating zone will cover only a few square miles. Texas’s relaxed regulations on autonomous vehicles were a key reason for choosing Austin as the starting point.
If Tesla does launch this month, its robotaxis will share the roads with other autonomous vehicle providers like Waymo and Zoox. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, already offers driverless rides in the city through a partnership with Uber, while Zoox — owned by Amazon — also has a test fleet operating in Austin.
Also read: Jeff Bezos’ New Glenn rocket reaches orbit on first test flight
Source: newmoney.gr / Economy today
