Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout Begins in San Francisco—But With Human Drivers Onboard
Tesla is launching a limited version of its long-awaited robotaxi service this weekend in San Francisco, but without going fully driverless. According to Business Insider, each vehicle will still include a human safety driver due to the company’s lack of a permit for fully autonomous operation in California.
The early program follows a similar pilot launched in Austin, Texas last month. For now, Tesla’s rides will only be available to employees or Model Y owners who receive invitations—pending approval from California’s Public Utilities Commission to allow public rides.
California DMV records reveal no authorization for Tesla to run driverless vehicles, while the company simultaneously faces legal pressure over misleading Full Self-Driving claims and ongoing lawsuits related to fatal crashes.
Despite these hurdles, Tesla is eyeing expansion into Arizona and Florida, where it has begun the certification process for more advanced testing—including fully driverless operations.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s humanoid robot initiative, Optimus, is lagging far behind Musk’s projections. The company had aimed to produce 5,000 units in 2025, yet only a few hundred have been built so far. A revamped Optimus 3 model is now set for production in early 2026, with a bold new target of 1 million units annually within five years.
All this comes amid a challenging Q2 for Tesla, with a 12% drop in revenue driven by slowing EV sales, declining regulatory credit income, and weak energy sector performance.
While the robotaxi dream inches forward, Tesla’s long-promised autonomous future is clearly still under construction.
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