After years of bold claims and blown deadlines, Tesla has officially begun offering driverless rides in its 2025 Model Y SUVs — marking a cautious but headline-grabbing debut for its long-promised robotaxi service. The pilot, now live in South Austin, represents CEO Elon Musk’s first real-world test of his bet on vision-only autonomy powered by end-to-end AI.
CEO Elon Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate the Tesla AI software and chip design teams, calling the achievement the “culmination of a decade of hard work.”
The milestone is especially significant as both Tesla’s AI software and custom hardware teams were built from scratch — entirely in-house— underscoring Musk’s long-held belief in vertical integration as the key to technological dominance.
“Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful @Robotaxi launch!! Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla,” Musk posted.
Tesla AI senior engineering manager Srihari Sampathkumar echoed the sentiment, calling the launch the result of “a decade of hard work on building the best AI software and hardware,” and expressing gratitude for being part of the mission. Musk replied directly, crediting Sampathkumar and his team for maximising the performance of the Tesla AI computer, stating: “Robotaxi wouldn’t be possible yet without that.”
Tesla Robotaxi: What we know so far
Videos posted Sunday on X (formerly Twitter) and confirmations from locals show passengers being shuttled around the Texas capital — without anyone in the driver’s seat. The rides are reportedly being offered at a flat fee of $4.20, in classic Musk fashion, and only to invited early-access users via a new Tesla robotaxi app.
Unlike rivals such as Waymo, which use lidar, radar, and HD mapping, Tesla’s system relies solely on cameras and neural nets. That distinction makes this rollout a defining moment for Musk’s philosophy that humans drive with eyes and brains, so AI should too.
•Service hours: 6:00 a.m. to midnight daily (with weather-based limitations).
•Fleet size: Roughly 10 Model Ys, geofenced to South Austin for now.
•Human monitor: A Tesla employee sits in the front passenger seat as a “safety monitor” — not to drive, but to intervene if needed.
•Invitation only: Tesla has handpicked the first users, most of whom appear to be vocal online supporters.
•App support: Tesla’s newly launched robotaxi info page includes details on booking, rider rules, and lost item protocols — but lacks the level of operational transparency seen in Waymo or Cruise.
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