Tesla Plans Robotaxi Service Expansion
Elon Musk announced that Tesla aims to make its robotaxi service accessible to half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025, a significant increase from the current limited rollout. This ambitious timeline reflects the company’s ongoing efforts to advance its autonomous vehicle technology, despite current operational limitations, reports 24brussels.
Musk’s statement came during an earnings call in which he revealed plans to introduce the robotaxi service in new markets, including Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and California. Tesla is currently testing its Full Self-Driving feature in Europe and China and anticipates launching this controversial technology soon.
“We have done what we said we were going to do,” Musk stated. “That doesn’t mean we’re always on time, but we get it done. And our naysayers are sitting there with egg on their face.”
Despite challenges, including regulatory approvals necessary for operating autonomous ride-hailing services, Musk expressed confidence in Tesla’s ability to grow its robotaxi fleet. Currently, the company employs safety monitors in its robotaxis operating in Austin, which include access to a kill switch, a safety measure not utilized by competitors like Waymo.
Although Tesla lacks several permits for launching the robotaxi business in California, Musk remains undeterred, indicating that regulatory hurdles will not halt progress. He highlighted the potential for Tesla customers to upgrade their vehicles to drive autonomously with no supervision by the end of 2025.
However, some significant challenges remain. Musk acknowledged the need for advanced computer hardware in older Tesla models to support the unsupervised version of Full Self-Driving. This hardware transition could prove costly for the company. He mentioned that the goal is to finalize updates for vehicles equipped with the HW4 system before addressing those with the HW3 system.
The promise of enabling standard Tesla owners to upgrade their vehicles to fully autonomous status has been fundamental to the company’s valuation growth over the years. Yet, it appears that many Tesla owners might miss out on this future due to hardware limitations.
As Tesla pushes forward with its plans, it continues to face scrutiny over its safety protocols and driving technology, reflecting both the technological and regulatory complexities involved in autonomous vehicle deployment.
