Austin’s sun-soaked summer streets feel seemingly more alive today, as Tesla’s driverless Robotaxi service swings open to the public. After years of Elon Musk’s big promises and a decade of waiting, the first folks are hopping into shiny black Model Ys stamped with “Robotaxi” badges.
Just 10 to 20 Model Ys are cruising Austin’s fenced-off zones, starting with invited riders and now letting the public trickle in. Rides stick to a 37-square-mile patch, dodging tricky intersections and running from 6:00 AM to midnight, weather allowing. “We’re being super paranoid about safety,” Musk shared on X.
Sale
1/32 Alloy Car Trucks Toy Pickup Trailer RV Model Kit with Beach Motorcycle, Diecast Alloy Metal RV Car...
- 3-in-1 Travel Car Trucks RV Set：Includes a metal pickup trucks, a removable camper, and a 4-wheeled off-road motorcycle for a complete touring...
- Diecast Metal Alloy Model：The trucks car toy made of high-quality alloy,so the body is stronger and more durable，The interior decoration of the...
- Sound & Light Iterior Smulation: Our toy cars feature cool analog sound and light effects that are triggered by pressing the front wheels or opening...
Riders call a car through Tesla’s built-in app, a smooth add-on to the company’s current setup. No extra app, no hassle—just a few taps to summon a driverless Model Y to your spot. It feels like the future with a familiar twist, like grabbing an Uber without the chatty driver. Early passengers note the eerie silence inside, the white seats highlighting the missing human touch. A big central screen shows the car’s view: lanes, walkers, and traffic lights drawn live.
The @Tesla_AI robotaxi launch begins in Austin this afternoon with customers paying a $4.20 flat fee!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 22, 2025
Tesla’s Robotaxi leans on its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, now an “unsupervised” upgrade that outshines old driver-assist tech. Unlike Waymo’s lidar- and radar-packed rigs, Tesla goes vision-only, relying on cameras and a neural net trained on billions of real-world miles. This setup, powered by Tesla’s custom AI chip, handles turns and pedestrian yields with eerie accuracy, as seen in early clips.
Safety is the backbone, and Tesla’s tech aims to build trust. Remote teleoperators watch the fleet, ready to jump in with a cutting-edge VR setup if the car hits a snag, like a festival with signaling cops. This human safety net, seldom needed, marks Tesla’s careful launch. The cars also pack backup systems, so no single glitch can jeopardize safety. Musk’s geofencing—keeping rides to “the safest” Austin spots—cuts risk but has sparked flak for sidestepping tough city streets.
Austin’s rules, shaped by Texas’s 2017 law banning city control over autonomous cars, have been a win for Tesla. Unlike California’s tight grip, Texas gives more freedom, though a new law demanding DMV approval by September 2025 might stir things up.
Rivals pose a challenge. Waymo’s Austin tie-up with Uber covers the same 37 square miles with a seasoned setup. Zoox and Avride are testing too, their sensor-heavy cars contrasting Tesla’s lean design. Musk’s gamble is that Tesla’s AI, fed by data from millions of customer cars, will beat out rivals’ fenced, sensor-loaded tactics. Analyst Sam Korus from ARK Investment Management backs this edge, hinting a software tweak could turn regular Teslas into robotaxis, flooding cities with affordable rides. But jumping from 10 cars to millions is a big stretch, and Musk’s past rosy timelines—like 2015’s “autonomy in two years”—keep hopes in check.
