Tesla’s new robotaxis—self-driving Model Ys—are set to debut in limited form in Austin, Texas, this Sunday. It is part of CEO Elon Musk’s push to dominate the autonomous vehicle service industry, which includes Alphabet’s Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox taxis.
The EV maker is starting with a small fleet and testing the waters. Its robotaxis will have a human driver at the wheel and remote backup. Musk says the rollout will be cautious because the company is “super paranoid about safety.”
However, Tesla still faces challenges.
- Waymo is far ahead, running 1,500 commercial robotaxis in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin.
- Tesla’s system, which relies solely on cameras (unlike its rivals that use lidar and radar), is under NHTSA investigation and has been linked to fatal crashes.
- Protests have already begun in Austin, where Tesla employs 20,000+ people, regarding the impact of its robotaxi test service on locals.
Despite the criticism, Musk promises a game-changer. He said a software update can turn millions of existing Teslas into autonomous taxis.