Tesla's Robotaxis Will Operate Exclusively Within a Digital Boundary | Carscoops

      By the end of 2026, Musk claims Tesla will have hundreds of thousands of self-driving cars in the US.

      Tesla plans to implement geofencing for its robotaxis initially in Texas, starting with as few as 10 vehicles utilizing Unsupervised Full-Self Driving.

      Elon Musk believes that Tesla can pose a serious challenge to Waymo.

      Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made many bold and often inaccurate assertions regarding the company's future fleet of robotaxis. However, after years of ambitious promises, the first of these robotaxis is scheduled to appear on public roads next month. As part of a pilot initiative in Austin, Texas, Tesla will launch its much-anticipated robotaxi service in an effort to narrow the significant gap Waymo currently has in the autonomous vehicle sector.

      In 2019, Musk famously stated that Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on US roads by the end of that same year. As it stands, there are none, but next month, it plans to deploy around 10 robotaxis in Austin, with potential to rapidly scale this number to thousands if successful. Notably, these won't be the Cybercab model but rather versions of existing models fitted with the new Unsupervised Full-Self Driving technology.

      During a recent CNBC interview, Musk mentioned the importance of being careful with the rollout and indicated that Tesla employees would oversee the robotaxi fleet remotely.

      “It’s wise for us to begin with a limited number, ensure everything is functioning properly, and then increase the scale,” Musk stated. “We’ll monitor the vehicles closely, and as our confidence grows, the need for such oversight will decrease.”

      To facilitate a smooth introduction of the robotaxi fleet, vehicles will be restricted to specific areas in Austin. As the fleet expands, Musk projected that by the end of 2026, Tesla would have “hundreds of thousands, if not over a million Teslas operating autonomously in the US.” Like all predictions from the world's wealthiest individual, time will tell if this comes to pass.

      On the topic of acquiring Uber, Musk was questioned why Tesla doesn't pursue such a purchase. He sees no necessity for it, pointing out that Tesla already has a substantial number of vehicles and everything required to run a successful robotaxi service. This includes the capacity for private Tesla owners to contribute their cars to the fleet, allowing them to function as robotaxis when the owner is not using them.

      “We have millions of cars capable of operating autonomously,” Musk remarked. “And I should clarify that this will involve both a Tesla-owned fleet and enabling Tesla owners to add or remove their cars from the fleet, allowing current Tesla owners to generate income by including their vehicles for autonomous use.”