Elon Musk sets June 22 for Tesla's robotaxi launch in Austin; viral video of driverless ride thrills netizens
Elon Musk, the Tesla owner and tech billionaire, announced that Tesla Inc. has set June 22 as a tentative launch date for the start of its robotaxi network.
On Wednesday, Musk took to his X (formerly called Twitter) to share the information that the date could shift because the EV car manufacturing company is being "super paranoid about safety".
In the particular post, Musk also added that Tesla plans to autonomously deliver a vehicle from the factory to a customer's house later on June 28, the chief executive's birthday. In the post, Musk wrote, "Tentatively, June 22. We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift. The first Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28."
Tentatively, June 22.We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.First Tesla that drives itself from factory end of line all the way to a customer house is June 28.
Know about Tesla's Robotaxi service
Meanwhile, Tesla executives promoted a video on Tuesday showing one of its vehicles driving in Austin with no one behind the wheel. The video is a hint that Tesla is close to launching its robotaxi service in the Texas capital.
In the video, which was uploaded on X, a black Model Y with the words "robotaxi" painted on its front door turned off South Congress Avenue in a popular tourist district of the city. Moreover, both Musk and Ashok Elluswamy shared the video on their X.
Ashok Elluswamy leads Tesla's Autopilot teams and recently took over the responsibility for the company's Optimus humanoid robot program.
Tesla's robotaxi is completely self-driven, video goes viral
According to an earlier report by Bloomberg, Tesla was focusing on starting to operate its robotaxi network from June 12, but the company was engaged in testing the self-driven Model Y SUVs that will be used in the operation's first phase.
Model Ys with manufacturer plates and a person behind the wheel have been spotted driving around various parts of Austin, including South Congress. The viral video of a driverless ride thrills netizens.
BREAKING: First ever Tesla Model Y robotaxi with no-one in the drivers seat spotted testing on public roads in Austin, Texas!Tesla's new "Robotaxi" wordmark/logo is on the side of the vehicle. https://t.co/IhEzPx5PIb pic.twitter.com/zq4ZmiMqDg
Netizens react to Tesla's viral robotaxi service
As soon as the video of the driverless taxi service surfaced on social media, it quickly grabbed the attention of netizens, who said, "Hell yeah! So excited."
One X user wrote, "That robotaxi logo is slick 😎 can't believe it took this long for someone to record one."
While some questioned, "Who will be connecting them to the charging network? Or are they fitted with the induction charger?"
Who will be connecting them to the charging network? Or are they fitted with the induction charger?
"This is super exciting! Tesla's approach to FSD is going to scale much faster than others," another added.
This is super exciting! Tesla's approach to FSD is going to scale much faster than others.
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