Elon Musk says Tesla robotaxi rides in Austin ‘tentatively’ set to begin June 22

Elon Musk says Tesla robotaxi rides in Austin ‘tentatively’ set to begin June 22


Model Y cars are pictured during the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. 

Patrick Pleul | Pool | Via Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday that his company’s robotaxi service is “tentatively” set to launch in Austin, Texas, on June 22.

In a post on X, Musk indicated that he’s flying from Los Angeles to Austin for the kickoff, which he previously said would occur sometime in June. When a commenter asked when public rides will start, Musk said the current plan is for June 22, and that the first driverless trip from the Tesla factory to a customer’s house will take place on his birthday, June 28.

“We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift,” Musk wrote.

Earlier on Tuesday, Musk shared a video on X showing that Tesla was testing driverless vehicles on the roads of Austin without a human safety supervisor behind the wheel. The eight-second clip showed the latest version of the Model Y SUV, painted black with a white “Robotaxi” graffiti-style logo painted on it, navigating an intersection and pausing to allow pedestrians to traverse a crosswalk.

Musk recently told CNBC’s David Faber that Tesla will start with a very small rollout, including about 10 to 20 of its robotaxis, with a new, “unsupervised” version of the company’s FSD or “Full Self-Driving” technology installed. The tests will involve the Model Y, not the futuristic looking CyberCab that Tesla plans to produce next year.

Musk said Tesla will “geofence” the service, limiting where the Model Y robotaxis can initially operate, and that employees will remotely monitor the fleet.

While running Tesla, Musk is also the CEO of defense contractor SpaceX and leads artificial intelligence company xAI, which has merged with his social network X (formerly Twitter.) He is also the richest person in the world, and spent nearly $300 million to propel President Donald Trump back to the White House.

Musk recently concluded a stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which made sweeping cuts to federal agencies, regulations and offices tasked with oversight of Tesla and his other companies.

While fans of Musk and Tesla have expressed enthusiasm for the company’s robotaxi service pilot in Austin, others with automotive safety concerns and who stand against Musk’s political ideology and activity are planning protests.

The Dawn Project, in partnership with anti-Musk activists including Tesla Takedown and Resist Austin, said in an e-mailed statement that they plan to host a demonstration on June 12 in downtown Austin to show off safety issues with Tesla’s electric vehicles and driver assistance features which are currently marketed as Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised).

Dan O’Dowd, who is CEO of both Green Hills Software and The Dawn Project, has described the latter as a tech-safety and security education business in prior interviews with CNBC. Green Hills Software makes products which are used by direct competitors of Tesla including Ford and Toyota.



Source

Palo Alto Networks to acquire CyberArk in  billion deal
Technology

Palo Alto Networks to acquire CyberArk in $25 billion deal

Piotr Swat | Lightrocket | Getty Images Palo Alto Networks will take over Israeli identity security provider CyberArk in a deal valued at roughly $25 billion. The California-based cybersecurity company will pay shareholders $45 apiece for 2.2005 shares of CyberArk, representing a 26% premium to its share price Friday. The deal is expected to close […]

Read More
At 10 years old, Ethereum’s future is brighter than ever despite recent setbacks
Technology

At 10 years old, Ethereum’s future is brighter than ever despite recent setbacks

Omar Marques | Lightrocket | Getty Images It’s been a decade since Ethereum’s inception, and although its native ether token has largely struggled for the last half of it, its future looks brighter than ever. Ether has become more attractive to institutions in recent weeks largely due to legislation around stablecoins – most of which […]

Read More
Robinhood’s 175% rally this year is best among U.S. tech stocks
Technology

Robinhood’s 175% rally this year is best among U.S. tech stocks

As Robinhood investors await second-quarter earnings, expectations are sky-high. The online broker, known for popularizing stock and crypto trading with young investors, has seen its shares surge 177% this year, outpacing all other U.S. tech companies valued at $5 or more, excluding those that went public in 2025. The next best performer is Palantir, up […]

Read More