Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will deploy robotaxis on public roads in Austin, Texas, by the end of June. Speaking during an interview at Tesla’s headquarters, Musk revealed that the autonomous ride service will begin with approximately 10 vehicles and expand to thousands if the initial rollout proceeds without incident. This marks a significant step toward Musk’s long-standing promise of fully autonomous vehicles capable of operating without human oversight.
The Austin launch will use Model Y vehicles equipped with an advanced version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software, branded as FSD Unsupervised. The company plans to “geofence” the vehicles initially, meaning they will operate within specific boundaries while under remote monitoring by Tesla employees. Musk confirmed that no human safety drivers will be present in the vehicles, although oversight from a distance will ensure safety as the system proves itself.
Following the Austin debut, Musk said Tesla is targeting expansions into Los Angeles and San Francisco. The move positions Tesla to compete with Alphabet’s Waymo, which currently runs commercial driverless ride-hailing services and conducts about 250,000 paid trips per week. Musk has long argued that Tesla’s camera-based AI approach will scale better and faster than competitors relying on more costly hardware like lidar and radar.
Musk reiterated that the company’s focus is on artificial intelligence, neural networks, and camera vision as the foundation for its autonomous technology. He emphasized that this approach is intended to lower production costs and support global scalability.
During the interview, Musk also addressed recent political controversy surrounding Tesla, including backlash tied to his support for President Donald Trump and his role as an advisor in reshaping federal governance. He dismissed concerns that political issues were affecting consumer interest in Tesla, attributing recent declines in EV sales to factory retooling for a redesigned Model Y. Musk reported a strong rebound in demand, though he did not share specific figures.
Musk reaffirmed his commitment to remain at Tesla for the next five years while simultaneously leading SpaceX, xAI, and contributing to the Trump administration’s government reform efforts. He created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has aggressively cut bureaucratic waste and reshaped federal operations with Trump’s backing.
