- Tesla only recently launched Robotaxi service in a geo-fenced area of Austin, Texas.
- Elon Musk now claims half the US population will be covered by Robotaxis soon.
- The CEO added that Tesla owners will get FSD unsupervised by the end of this year.
In June, Tesla introduced its long-awaited Robotaxi service to a geo-fenced area of Austin, Texas. It’s now planning to expand this service to the San Francisco Bay Area, but has yet to receive the required go-ahead from local authorities to do so. In the meantime, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has made a bold proclamation about the robotaxi service and its potential for rapid growth.
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Read: Tesla’s Robotaxis Aren’t The Same As The Model Y You Can Buy
While speaking on Tesla’s quarterly earnings call, Musk declared that “half of the population of the US will be covered by Tesla’s Robotaxi by the end of the year.” Given that we’re already fast approaching the end of July, and the system is only operating in a section of a single US city, this seems like yet another grandiose statement from the world’s richest man that will not bear fruit.
Safety Measures Still in Place
Currently, all Robotaxis operating in Austin are believed to feature a hidden kill switch that can instantly disable the Full Self-Driving system. All vehicles currently have a Tesla employee sitting in the passenger seat with their finger constantly resting on the door opening button, prompting suggestions that this button has been repurposed to act as a quick override mechanism.
Tesla’s Robotaxis have already been seen struggling with real-world driving conditions in Texas. Several videos have captured the vehicles making noticeable blunders on the road, raising questions about how quickly the system can realistically scale to other parts of the country within the next five months.
Ambitious Expansion Plans
This isn’t the only wild statement Musk recently made about the company’s self-driving systems, notes The Verge. Speaking on the same earnings call, Musk predicted that by the end of 2025, Tesla customers will be able to update their vehicles so they can use FSD without supervision. In addition to eyeing an expansion into California, Musk also named Florida, Nevada, and Arizona as other states where Tesla wants to introduce its Robotaxi service.
While Tesla can continue to test and improve its driver-assistance systems, it can do little to speed up the state regulatory approvals necessary for expanding the service across the United States. So, unless you live near a massive urban center, don’t expect to be able to order a self-driving Tesla taxi anytime soon.
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