Musk says Tesla's robotaxi service to 'tentatively' launch in Austin on June 22

Key Points

• Elon Musk says Tesla will tentatively launch its robotaxi service in Austin on June 22, though the date could shift as the company remains “super paranoid about safety.”
• The initial fleet of about 10 driverless cabs will be remotely monitored and geofenced to the safest parts of the city, with plans to scale quickly and expand to Los Angeles, San Antonio, and San Francisco.
• After over a decade of promising “fully autonomous” vehicles, Musk faces mounting pressure to prove the self-driving taxi model amid sagging Tesla EV sales and Model Y production changes.
• Analysts warn that Musk’s public spat with President Trump could prompt federal regulators to step in at the first sign of trouble for the new robotaxi service.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Elon Musk says Tesla is “tentatively” set to begin providing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 22.

In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.”

Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch in Austin sometime in June.

Last month, Musk told CNBC that the taxis will be remotely monitored at first and “geofenced” to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate. He said he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities.

Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles “next year” for a decade, but the pressure is on now as Tesla actually begins to operate a self-driving taxi service. Sales of Tesla’s electric vehicles have sagged due to increased competition, the retooling of its most popular car, the Model Y, and the fallout from Musk’s turn to politics.

The Austin rollout also comes after Musk had a public blowup with President Donald Trump over the administration’s tax bill. Some analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate by encouraging federal safety regulators to to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis.