Tesla's public robotaxi rides set for tentative June 22 start, CEO Musk says

A successful robotaxi launch is crucial for Tesla as sales of its EVs have softened due to rising competition and a backlash against Musk's embrace of far-right political views in Europe, and his recent work for U.S. President Donald Trump before their public falling out. Musk has promised a paid robotaxi service in Austin starting with about 10-20 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate in a limited area and under remote human supervision. The company then plans to expand operations to other U.S. states later in the year, including California which has stringent AV regulations.
"Austin >> LA for robotaxi launch lol," Musk said on X, in an apparent reference to the southern Californian city of Los Angeles. Tesla has been testing its self-driving vehicles on public streets in Austin, Musk said last month. Earlier on Tuesday, Musk re-posted a video on X that showed a Model Y making a turn at an Austin intersection with no human driver and the word "Robotaxi" written on it, and followed closely by another Model Y. The vehicles were using a new version of Tesla's advanced driver assistance software, called Full Self-Driving (FSD), Musk said in a separate X post. Little else is known about Tesla's robotaxi service, including where it will operate, the extent of remote supervision and how the public can use the service.
(Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Peter Henderson and Shri Navaratnam)