Can Tesla's robotaxis live up to Musk's hype as they hit the streets of Austin?
The post Can Tesla's robotaxis live up to Musk's hype as they hit the streets of Austin? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Elon Musk’s long-awaited Tesla robotaxis are finally scheduled to begin a limited test run, after years of delayed promises. Back in 2019, Musk said Tesla would have driverless robotaxis on the road “next year,” but that did not happen. A similar promise in 2020 also failed to materialize. In January last year, he told investors, “Next year for sure, we’ll have over a million robotaxis.” Musk now seems close to testing his plan with only 10 or 12 vehicles serving a small area in Austin, Texas, starting today on June 22, 2025, as reported by Reuters. He admits reaching a million cars could take a year or longer, but he expects to expand beyond Austin later this year if the trial succeeds. Tesla needs a strong start with its robotaxis The stakes are high, and the challenges are many. While Musk was making those “next year” pledges, rival Waymo was already rolling out driverless taxis in Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin and other cities. Waymo uses lidar, radar and cameras to navigate, a more expensive setup that nonetheless got it to market faster. The company just completed its 10 millionth paid ride. Tesla’s sales have suffered from boycotts linked to Musk’s political views, and other electric car makers with competitive models have gained ground. Investors grew uneasy when Tesla lost about $150 billion in market value after Musk’s public quarrel with U.S. President Donald Trump. The stock has since recovered a portion of its losses after Musk expressed regret over his comments. Despite that, investors have remained loyal, in part because Musk defied the odds to build a standalone electric car company, and made shareholders money along the way. About a decade ago, in 2015, Tesla shares traded around $18. On Friday, June 20, 2025, the stock closed at $322.…
