Tesla’s Robotaxi Trial Coming to Austin, Texas by June 2025

Elon Musk’s Tesla is moving forward with its long-anticipated robotaxi service, with a pilot program set to launch in Austin, Texas by the end of June. According to Musk, the initial deployment will involve around 10 self-driving vehicles operating in select safe areas of the city. The company plans to scale this up to approximately a thousand cars within a few months.

The launch marks a significant shift for Tesla, as Musk has pivoted the company’s focus from developing a new affordable electric vehicle platform to prioritizing autonomous driving technology and Optimus humanoid robots. "The only things that matter in the long term are autonomy and Optimus," Musk shared in a recent CNBC interview.

While Tesla's self-driving technology faces regulatory scrutiny, including an ongoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into collisions involving its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system under reduced visibility conditions, the company is pushing ahead. The NHTSA has requested more information about Tesla's plans for the robotaxi service, especially regarding performance in adverse weather.

In addition to its robotaxi ambitions, Tesla is reportedly discussing licensing its FSD software to major automakers. This move could potentially expand Tesla's influence in the autonomous vehicle space.

On the AI front, Musk's separate venture, xAI, is scaling up its data center capacity in Memphis, Tennessee, leveraging Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell chips. The facility, known as "Colossus," is being promoted as one of the largest supercomputer clusters globally. Despite merging xAI with social media platform X earlier this year, Musk indicated that a full merger between Tesla and xAI is not being actively considered, though it remains a possibility pending shareholder approval.

This development arrives as Tesla faces global competition and Musk navigates both political and market pressures. Amid changing strategies, the robotaxi rollout could play a pivotal role in determining Tesla’s future trajectory.