in

Tesla’s Robotaxi service launch day is here! The software and hardware are ready.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service launch day is here! The software and hardware are ready.

The day many have been waiting for is finally here. Today, Tesla is officially launching its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, offering the first public rides, on public roads, in its autonomous vehicles.

A select group of individuals, have been granted Early Access to experience this firsthand. This initial launch comes with a specific set of terms and conditions, which are expected to evolve as Tesla gains confidence and prepares for a wider rollout.

The big deal here is that Tesla’s hardware and software are ready for robotaxi services.

Tesla’s Model Y is the same cars rolling off the production line every day, there’s no expensive retrofit of additional sensors, its the exact same hardware that anyone can buy from Tesla.com

Tesla’s software is finally ready. After years of development (almost a decade), and billions of dollars invested into AI hardware to train the model necessary for the car to drive itself, today’s launch is confirmation, it’s ready. Is it going to be perfect, probably not, that’s an impossible benchmark. Tesla is clearly confident enough that their software stack is capable and safe enough to take the financial liability of having it operate on public roads, with regular consumers, for the first time.

The First Riders
A small, initial group of people have publicly shared their invitations to the Early Access program. So far the list includes 15 people, many of which were part of the early phases of FSD Beta (later renamed to FSD Supervised). I’ve created a list called ‘Tesla Robotaxi Invites‘ to stay across posts from people who have access.

Pay to Play
A key aspect of Tesla’s robotaxi launch is that the launch is not only the launch of the product (a complete hardware/software offering), but also the launch of the Robotaxi service (the app and paid rides).

Early adopters will pay for the Robotaxi rides, and are paying their own traveling expenses to Austin. This may not sound strange, but those involved in the media industry for automotive, or technology, will understand that companies often pay the travel and accommodation for press to cover an even such as this.

For some, this investment is as much as US$5,000, a testament to the immense anticipation surrounding this launch.

Bring a Plus-One
Invitees to the Early Access program are permitted to bring a guest (a +1) along for the ride. With no apparent limit on the number of rides they can take, the number of people experiencing the service this week could easily reach into the dozens or even over a hundred.

Ultimately the rider will be responsible for the passenger’s they bring, as the reservation is done under the Early Access account.

Rider preferences
We understand that Tesla reached out to invitees to get their cloud profile preferences to ensure they are in place for their ride, making the experience feel like their own custom car. This suggests that a full cloud profile sync isn’t yet in place.

If you are a Tesla owner with a cloud profile, your preferences will ultimately sync through to the robotaxi rides. This is likely to include climate preference, music and entertainment preferences and potentially even routing preferences in the longer-term.

Robotaxi App
For now, Tesla will use a dedicated Robotaxi App, in which the Early Access riders were given a private link to download. This will enable them to hail a Robotaxi ride. The expectation is that Tesla will ultimately roll this into the care Tesla app which has a number of benefits.

By using the Tesla app, those existing Tesla owners will have a seamless experience for all parts of the Tesla ecosystem (cars, energy, robotaxi etc). For those non-Tesla owners who want to ride in a robotaxi, putting the Tesla app in front of them, gives Tesla the ability to showcase their products to a big audience, effectively placing the ‘buy a Model Y’ option, right next to the ‘reserve a robotaxi ride’.

Assuming that customers have a good experience riding in a Model Y robotaxi, customers may then be more likely to purchase a Model Y and buy FSD, the software that delivered the ride they just experienced.

Geofenced.. for now
Rides can be requested to and from any location within a specific geofenced area of Austin (the location and area of which is still to be confirmed), with the notable exclusion of airports.

This controlled environment allows Tesla to manage the fleet closely and ensure a smooth initial rollout before expanding the operational area, with the ultimate goal of a Texas-wide service.

Service Hours.. for now.
The Robotaxis will be available from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM (midnight), seven days a week. Tesla does note, however, that these hours are subject to change and that service may be limited during inclement weather.

Safety Rider.. for now.
Tesla’s invites confirm that we’ll see a Tesla staff member in the front passenger seat during Early Access rides. Clearly Tesla are playing things very cautiously and there’s a couple of different reasons this may have been implemented.

Firstly, the safety driver may be there up front to ensure nobody attempts to touch vehicle controls (yank the steering wheel, reach over and press the brake etc). The second reason could be to monitor the passengers to ensure they follow the rules and keep things clean in there, as Tesla’s cleaning robot service is not yet available.

The cars will also need to be recharged, something the safety rider will be able to do. In the future, Tesla’s Cybercab will offer wireless charging that removes this issue, but for now, this is how Tesla is solving the recharging robotaxi challenge.

Feedback is Key
As part of the early access program, riders are expected to provide a star rating and detailed feedback after each trip. This data will be crucial for Tesla as it refines the system for a wider public rollout. I really hope riders are honest with their feedback and if they do take a +1 will have to combine the thoughts and feedback for both riders.

Sharing is Encouraged
Unlike some exclusive tech trials, Tesla is openly allowing participants to capture and share photos and videos of their Robotaxi experience.

The Bigger Picture
This launch in Austin is just the beginning of Tesla’s ambitious plans for its Robotaxi network. The company aims to scale the service to many more locations, with the goal of having a significant presence across the US by the end of 2025.

If things go well, we’ll see the international rollouts of FSD (Supervised) turn to FSD (Unsupervised) in 2026.

Adan Guarjardo spotted a new Red Model Y with the Robotaxi logos around Austin. He also highlights that there is no longer a chase vehicle to monitor the robotaxi. This seems logical, given they don’t really scale, with remote telemetry, combined with the safety rider pretty much negate the need for this.

BREAKING! Multiple Robotaxis out and about! Red Tesla Robotaxi driving around Austin with no tail car! New colors! New routes! No tail car! pic.twitter.com/dGh2WTMywu

— Adan Guajardo (@AdanGuajardo) June 21, 2025

Report

What do you think?

Newbie

Written by Mr Viral

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

65525

Clocked It! Oprah Winfrey & Bishop T.D. Jakes Address Rumors About Attending Diddy’s Parties (WATCH)

Clocked It! Oprah Winfrey & Bishop T.D. Jakes Address Rumors About Attending Diddy’s Parties (WATCH)

REVIEW: Suunto Run, a lightweight and feature-packed running companion

REVIEW: Suunto Run, a lightweight and feature-packed running companion