Autonomous Tesla Taxis to Part Ways with Human Drivers by the End of 2025, According to Musk
Tesla's Robotaxi Service Takes a Leap Forward
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has announced that the company's Robotaxi service will no longer require a safety driver by the end of this year. This bold move comes as Tesla prepares for a wider rollout of its autonomous taxi service across the United States.
The Robotaxi service, which was initially available only for iOS users, went public for the first time in select U.S. cities today. The app, currently at the top spot on the App Store's Travel app charts, is set to expand to Android users soon.
Tesla has been testing rides without a driver in the front seat in Austin, where it launched its first Robotaxi pilot this past June. For Robotaxi trips that take to Austin freeways, a safety monitor is still placed in the driver's seat, similar to how rides are being handled in the Bay Area. However, for trips within the city, no safety driver is present.
In a cautious first step toward expanding to highways, Tesla has been placing a safety monitor in the driver's seat for Robotaxi trips on highways. Elon Musk has promised to remove this safety monitor entirely from Robotaxi vehicles before the end of the year.
Despite the absence of a safety driver, Tesla remains confident in its technology. The company appears to be preparing for a much wider Robotaxi rollout across the U.S., signalling a significant step towards the future of autonomous transportation.
It's important to note that, in the United States, there is currently no single federal authority responsible exclusively for monitoring the safety of Tesla robotaxis without safety monitors. Oversight is fragmented across state agencies and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but no nationwide regulatory framework specifically governs fully autonomous robotaxi operations without human monitors.
As Tesla's Robotaxi service moves closer to removing safety monitors entirely, it will be interesting to see how this development unfolds and how regulators respond. For now, Tesla's bold steps towards a driverless future continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of autonomous vehicles.
