Robotaxi

Elon Musk's fortune soared by $19 billion in a single day, making him the world’s richest person once again. The trigger? Tesla officially launched its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.

A Revolution for $4.20 a Ride
Tesla began operating its autonomous ride-hailing service on Sunday with a flat rate of $4.20 per trip. While each ride is still accompanied by a safety operator, the announcement alone caused investor excitement — Tesla stock jumped 8%, hitting an intraday high of 11%.
As a result, Musk’s net worth climbed to $385 billion, putting him well ahead of Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Musk called the rollout “the culmination of a decade of hard work,” praising Tesla’s AI and chip design teams.

Analysts Urge Caution
Despite the market’s enthusiasm, some analysts are urging caution. UBS raised its Tesla price target but still maintained a “sell” rating, warning that much of the robotaxi optimism might already be priced in.
Experts also highlight several technical and logistical challenges, such as sensor limitations, complex road scenarios, and inadequate infrastructure.

U.S. Regulators Launch Safety Probe
Meanwhile, U.S. safety regulators are already investigating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reviewing videos allegedly showing Tesla robotaxis veering out of lanes or speeding.
NHTSA has requested documentation from Tesla, especially about how these self-driving cars perform in poor weather, at complex intersections, and regarding passenger age restrictions.
Tesla stated that its safety reports are confidential and should not be made public. However, the agency is reviewing Tesla's submissions. It’s not the first time either — since October, NHTSA has been probing crashes involving Tesla’s autonomous vehicles in low visibility conditions, including one fatal incident.

#ElonMusk , #ROBOTAXI , #Tesla , #Musk , #AI

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Elon Musk has delivered on another of his promises. In South Austin, the first public phase of the Tesla Robotaxi service officially launched today, with each ride set at a flat rate of $4.20. The transportation revolution is here – at least in a limited form.

🔹 Service Launch Confirmed – Just Ten Vehicles for Now

In a testing phase, Tesla has deployed ten modified Model Y vehicles operating within a specific area of South Austin. The cars run daily from 6:00 AM to midnight, monitored by a Tesla employee seated in the front passenger seat as a “safety monitor.”
Each ride is priced at a flat $4.20, a symbolic figure Musk often uses as part of his public persona.

🔹 No Driver, No LiDAR – Just Cameras and AI

Unlike competitors like Waymo, Tesla is relying solely on cameras and AI software, not LiDAR sensors. Musk has long argued that human vision can be effectively replaced by cameras and neural networks.
Although the cars are officially driverless, Tesla still includes a human monitor to oversee the ride. It’s unclear whether this person has the ability to take control in case of emergency.

🔹 No Cybercabs – At Least Not Yet

Instead of the futuristic Cybercabs Musk revealed in October 2024, Tesla opted for the updated 2025 Model Y, equipped with the latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. Musk describes this system as “unsupervised” – meaning the vehicle drives completely on its own.

🔹 Secrecy, Limited Transparency, and Controlled Access

Once again, Tesla has been extremely cautious with public information. Most details have come directly from Musk’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) or from early users sharing their experiences. Many of them are known Tesla supporters.
TechCrunch and other media outlets have reportedly struggled to get official information – Tesla allegedly blocked public records requests from the Texas Department of Transportation and tried to stop the city of Austin from releasing documents to Reuters.

🔹 Safety Rules and Limited Camera Use

During rides, interior cameras are not activated by default. They only turn on in emergencies, when support is requested, or after a trip to verify the vehicle’s readiness. Tesla also set strict passenger rules: no smoking, vaping, drinking, drug use, or criminal activity. Users who violate these rules and share footage may be suspended or banned from the service.

🔹 A Long-Awaited Beginning

The launch of Robotaxi marks a significant step toward Elon Musk’s vision of fully autonomous transportation. Tesla invited a limited number of users to download the new app and begin requesting rides on launch day. Early reactions have been positive, though not without hiccups – author Ed Niedermeyer, who has written a book on Tesla, observed some test vehicles making sudden stops near parked police cars.

🔹 Tesla Celebrates – But Scrutiny Remains

A photo from the Robotaxi launch party was shared by Tesla’s Head of Autopilot Ashok Elluswamy. Elon Musk followed up on X with a message: “Huge congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software and chip teams on the successful launch of @Robotaxi!! A decade of hard work coming together.”

Summary: The first real-world test of Tesla’s autonomous Robotaxi service is live – with just ten cars, limited coverage, and human monitors on board. Still, it’s a major milestone in Musk’s long-term vision for a driverless future. The revolution is rolling – cautiously but undeniably.

#ElonMusk , #ROBOTAXI , #Tesla , #AI , #worldnews

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Elon Musk has once again stirred the tech world – this time by revealing the tentative launch date for Tesla’s long-awaited Robotaxi service. If everything goes as planned, the first driverless vehicles will hit the streets of Austin on June 22. And the first ever ride from Tesla’s factory straight to a customer’s home? That’s scheduled for June 28 – which just happens to be Musk’s birthday.

⚠️ Dates May Shift – Safety Comes First
Musk stressed that the announced dates could change. Tesla is extremely cautious when it comes to safety and would rather delay the launch than risk any incident. On June 11, he announced that he was flying from Los Angeles to Austin to prepare for the rollout.

🧠 Starting Small – Then Scaling to Thousands
Back in May, Musk said the launch would begin on a small scale – with just 10 autonomous vehicles on the streets in the first week. That number is expected to quickly grow to 20, 30, 40, and then thousands in the coming months. Expansion is already planned for other cities like San Francisco and San Antonio, although no specific timeline has been given.
According to Musk, city streets will soon look very different – and self-driving cars could become the global standard within just two to three years.

📍 Geofencing, Remote Monitoring, and Careful Testing
Initially, the service will be limited to specific areas of Austin through geofencing, and each vehicle will be remotely monitored by Tesla staff. The first fleet will consist of specially upgraded Model Y vehicles equipped with a new version of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software that no longer requires a human driver.
Musk shared a short video showing a black Model Y with a white-gold "Robotaxi" logo calmly stopping at a crosswalk in Austin to let pedestrians pass. The future is here – and it looks smooth.

🤖 No CyberCab Yet – Coming Next Year
While Tesla is also working on a futuristic CyberCab, that model won’t hit the roads until 2026. For now, it’s all about the modified Model Y SUVs, which have already been spotted in test runs across Austin – including the iconic South Congress area.
Details about who will get access to the service first, what app will be used, or how much a ride will cost, remain unknown.

💥 Austin: The New Battleground for Robotaxis
Tesla won’t have an easy ride. Austin is already home to its main competitor, Waymo (from Alphabet), which has launched autonomous rides in partnership with Uber.
As of May, Waymo operates around 100 driverless vehicles in Austin, and according to Uber’s CEO, they’re more active than 99% of human drivers in the city. And the numbers are skyrocketing – from 12,000 paid rides in August 2023 to over 708,000 by March 2025. In total, Waymo has already provided more than 5 million rides in just three years.
Tesla is stepping into a serious contest.

📈 Musk Predicts Rapid Growth, Analysts Remain Skeptical
Elon Musk believes self-driving Tesla taxis will soon be everywhere. He estimates that 1,000 robotaxis could be operational within months, and by the end of 2026, the U.S. could see over a million autonomous Teslas on the roads.
Not everyone shares this optimism. Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein warns that Musk often misses his own deadlines. He believes Tesla will get there eventually, but says their FSD software will likely need more refinement than Tesla anticipates once real-world testing ramps up.

🔮 A Driverless Future Closer Than We Think?
Tesla’s Robotaxi service could revolutionize urban transport. Whether the launch starts slow or takes off fast, the battle for autonomous mobility has officially begun – and Austin is the first arena. Are we witnessing the start of a new era?

#ElonMusk , #ROBOTAXI , #Tesla , #AIRevolution , #ArtificialInteligence

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While Tesla continues to face mounting pressure in key global markets, Australia has emerged as a rare bright spot. In May 2025, the company reported 3,897 electric vehicle sales in the country — a 675% increase compared to April, when it only sold 500 units, its weakest month of the year.

🚙 Model Y Leads the Surge, While Model 3 Declines
The growth was largely driven by the Model Y, which saw a 122% year-over-year increase in sales. This compact SUV is currently Tesla’s top-performing model, while demand for the Model 3 continues to decline.
Despite this rebound, Tesla’s overall May sales in Australia are still down 48% compared to May 2024. The data comes from the Australian Electric Vehicle Council, which has become the main source of public Tesla and Polestar sales data after both brands left the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) last year.

🌍 Australia Helps, But Global Markets Remain Under Pressure
According to Liz Lee from Counterpoint Research, the boost in Australia is mainly due to strong interest in the revamped Model Y. However, she emphasized that this doesn’t yet indicate a broader global recovery — Tesla’s worldwide revenue was down 13% year-over-year in Q1.
Across Europe, markets such as Spain, Denmark, and Sweden saw sharp sales drops in May. Notable exceptions include Norway, where Model Y sales surged 213%, and Turkey, where Tesla sold a record 1,545 vehicles.

🧨 Musk Steps Back from Politics, Robotaxis on the Horizon
Tesla’s image took a hit earlier this year due to Elon Musk’s controversial political affiliations, which sparked protests and vandalism in Australia and abroad. However, the narrative is shifting.
Musk recently stepped down from his formal government role, although he remains an advisor. Analyst Dan Ives (Wedbush) called this move “the best news Tesla investors could ask for,” as Musk redirects his focus back to Tesla, just in time for the company’s anticipated robotaxi launch.
Autonomous Model Y prototypes are already in testing, with a commercial launch expected by the end of June — a milestone that could reshape Tesla’s future.

🔋 Facing Off With BYD and the Rise of Hybrids
Tesla’s main competitor in Australia is China’s BYD, which recently overtook Tesla in both global and European BEV sales. However, in May, Tesla narrowly outperformed BYD in Australia, selling 3,897 vehicles vs. BYD’s 3,225.
BYD benefits from offering both electric and hybrid vehicles, giving it an edge in Australia, where charging infrastructure remains limited in many regions.
FCAI data shows a 118% increase in plug-in hybrid sales and a 6% rise in conventional hybrids in May. FCAI CEO Tony Weber explained that Australians are gravitating toward hybrids because they want lower emissions without range anxiety — something still holding back EV adoption in the country.

📉 Stock Performance and What’s Ahead
Although Tesla shares rose 0.5% on Tuesday, the stock is still down 15% year-to-date. While Australia is offering some relief, Tesla’s global comeback remains far from certain.
Liz Lee suggests that Tesla should focus expansion on markets like India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, where governments are actively building EV infrastructure and offering incentives to buyers.

#Tesla , #Australia , #stockmarket , #ElonMusk , #ROBOTAXI

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,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“