Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi business is finally taking shape, with a small fleet of self-driving cars ferrying paying customers around in Austin, Texas. CEO Elon Musk first teased the idea of starting a driverless ride-hailing service at the company’s We, Robot event in October 2024, where he introduced the Cybercab — a purpose-built, fully autonomous electric vehicle users can order on-demand like they would an Uber. But with the Cybercab not slated to go into production until 2026, the new service will initially rely on Tesla-owned Model Ys and Model 3s.
What Is the Tesla Robotaxi Service?
Tesla’s robotaxis will provide fully autonomous rides on demand, picking up passengers and transporting them to their destinations without any human intervention or oversight. The service was piloted in Austin, Texas in June 2025, with plans for a nationwide and international rollout over the following year.
In a February earnings call, Musk said that all Tesla vehicles will eventually be able to operate without a human driver, as they will be upgraded with a forthcoming unsupervised version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. Currently in testing at Tesla’s factories in Fremont, California, and Austin, the software will eventually be available to Tesla owners “everywhere in America” and even in “most countries,” potentially paving the way for a long-awaited Tesla Network, where owners can rent out their own cars as part of a shared, driverless fleet. But Musk acknowledged that is still at least a year away.
“We’re just putting a toe in the water, then a few toes, then a foot, then a leg to, you know, make sure everything’s cool,” Musk told shareholders, adding that the safety of both the general public and Tesla passengers is a “top priority.” Tesla and other self-driving car manufacturers have been linked to some pretty serious accidents (and even some injuries and deaths) over the years, leading some to abandon their efforts entirely and prompting legislators around the world to call for stronger governance of the technology. Even so, proponents of self-driving technology (including Musk himself) have long argued that human-operated vehicles also have accidents, and that autonomous vehicles could ultimately make the roads safer — even if they can’t eliminate the risk completely.
Meanwhile, the larger robotaxi industry is booming, with companies like Google’s Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox rapidly expanding their own driverless fleets throughout the United States. Now, Tesla is officially entering the fray.
What Is the Tesla Robotaxi Service?
Tesla’s robotaxi service will provide driverless vehicles on demand, Musk explained in the earnings call. Users will simply type their destination into an app, and the car will autonomously pick them up and transport them — without a human driver or human supervision.
Initially, the service will rely on a fleet of Tesla-owned Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs equipped with the company’s new “unsupervised” Full Self-Driving software — a more advanced iteration of its controversial “supervised” FSD system, which enables partial autonomous driving but still requires regular supervision. Thousands of Teslas are already using unsupervised FSD at the company’s Fremont factory, performing “reliably every day, thousands of times a day,” according to Musk. Attendees at Tesla’s We, Robot event in October also had the chance to try the technology firsthand.
Musk expects unsupervised FSD to be publicly available nationwide starting in 2026, at which point Tesla owners all over the country will be able to rent out their vehicles when they aren’t using them — “kind of like Airbnb,” he said, where people can “add or subtract” their car from Tesla’s inventory of available robotaxis. But the company wants to ensure it has “ironed out any kinks” before expanding its fleet to include personal vehicles.
“It’s just a bunch of work that needs to be done to make sure the whole thing works efficiently,” Musk said. “That people can order the car, it comes to the right spot, does exactly the right thing, all the payment systems work, the billing works.”
Further down the road, Tesla’s robotaxi fleet is also expected to include its impending Cybercab (also referred to as Robotaxi), an all-electric, two-passenger vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals. But with production not expected to begin until 2026, it will likely be a while before the vehicle is available for ride-hailing.
Where Are Tesla Robotaxis Available?
So far, Tesla’s robotaxis have only been piloted in Austin, Texas, where the company is headquartered. It also introduced a limited taxi service in San Francisco in July, but is still legally required to have drivers in all the vehicles for the time being.
Eventually, once the service is available across the United States, Musk told shareholders the company plans to expand it to Europe in May 2026. However, he added that Europe is a “layer cake of regulations and bureaucracy,” anticipating that there will be “mountain of paperwork” to deal with in order to release unsupervised FSD there.
Europe upholds strict safety and environmental standards for autonomous vehicles. And while the EU AI Act — the landmark legislation governing the development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence within the European Union — does not explicitly address self-driving cars, it will likely have a significant impact on the industry, as many AI systems used in these vehicles fall under the act’s so-called “high-risk” category, subjecting them to higher scrutiny.
Musk also highlighted China as a “gigantic market” (Tesla saw record-high sales in China in 2024). However, U.S. regulations prohibit the company from training its software within China, posing a significant challenge in safely deploying unsupervised FSD in the country. As a workaround, Musk said Tesla is using Chinese street videos pulled from the internet to teach its system how to understand things like local street signs, traffic rules and bus lanes.
“I think we’ll have unsupervised FSD in almost every market this year, limited simply by regulatory issues, not technical capability,” Musk added. “Unsupervised FSD in the U.S. this year in many cities, but nationwide next year. And hopefully we have unsupervised FSD in most countries by the end of next year.”
It’s worth noting, however, that many experts and analysts have expressed doubts about Musk’s stated timeline, citing his long history of overpromising and underdelivering, as well as ongoing technical challenges and global regulatory hurdles.
When Will Tesla Robotaxis Be Available?
Musk has been vague with rollout dates, referring only to “this year” and “next year.” As he noted, the pace of the service’s nationwide expansion will largely come down to regulations, which vary widely across the United States.
More than 35 states have enacted some form of driverless car legislation, and some are more accommodating than others. For example, states like California, Florida and Arizona allow self-driving cars on public roads, so Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix have become popular cities for companies to test and launch their robotaxi services. Agencies like the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have implemented some rules and standards limiting autonomous vehicles, but any attempts to govern the technology with federal legislation have come and gone over the years, with no major restrictions on the horizon.
In fact, President Donald Trump reportedly plans to relax current rules around the technology, with new bipartisan legislation already in the works to establish new federal guidelines, according to Bloomberg. Proposed changes include raising the cap on the number of self-driving cars allowed on public roads, potentially accelerating the industry’s expansion. Meanwhile, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, said DOT plans to craft “clear regulations that balance safety, innovation and cutting-edge technology” — specifically mentioning autonomous vehicles, drones and even eVTOLs.
“This is a national security issue. We can’t fall behind China or other countries,” Duffy said at his confirmation hearing, referring to self-driving cars. “Right now, we have a patchwork of laws from state to state. I believe there has to be a federal law by which all of these innovators abide by. I will always make sure safety is key, but after safety we want to give a wide runway for these companies.”
Musk, a prominent Trump donor, would benefit greatly from looser self-driving regulations, as they could eliminate key roadblocks preventing Tesla from deploying its robotaxi service nationwide in the next year. Still, the company would need to contend with regulations at the individual state level.
Major Milestones for Tesla’s Robotaxis
Since Elon Musk first teased the idea in 2019, Tesla’s robotaxi venture has had its share of ups and downs. The following timeline captures some of the business’ most noteworthy moments, as the company seeks to take its driverless ridesharing service global.
Tesla Gets Green Light from Nevada to Test Its Autonomous Driving Tech (September 2025)
Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles has given Tesla a permit to test its autonomous driving technology on public streets in the state. This means Tesla’s driverless cars can be on the road, but they cannot be deployed into regular operation as a paid service. If the company wants to operate a commercial robotaxi business in Nevada, it will have to take several additional steps, including getting approval from the state’s Transportation Authority,
Tesla Launches Robotaxi App (September 2025)
After months of testing with invited members only, Tesla debuted a new iOS app, allowing anyone in Austin to hail a ride from their phones — though there is just a wait list for now. The service now spans 190 square miles, encompassing its Texas Gigafactory (for customer deliveries), the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the city’s freeway routes. However, for the freeway routes, Tesla keeps a safety monitor in the driver’s seat (though Musk says they will be removed by the end of the year). There’s no word yet on when Android users will get to access the app, or how long the waitlist might take.
Tesla Eyes Robotaxi Expansion to New York City (August 2025)
After Tesla’s biggest autonomous taxi competitor, Waymo, announced plans to expand its service to New York City, Musk said he is planning a similar move for his robotaxis, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company is already hiring for New York-based vehicle operators to drive Tesla vehicles around Queens and collect audio and video data to train its self-driving software. However, before either company can launch a pilot program in the Big Apple, city lawmakers would need to amend current legislation to permit fully autonomous vehicles on its public roads.
Tesla Secures Texas Rideshare License (August 2025)
Texas granted Tesla a statewide rideshare license for its robotaxis, enabling operations under new autonomous-vehicle rules. Elon Musk announced that access in Austin would open to the public in September, expanding beyond the invite-only pilot. This marks Tesla’s strongest regulatory foothold yet, and signals a shift from demos toward an actual paid service.
Driverless Pilot in Austin (June 2025)
Tesla began limited driverless rides for paying passengers in Austin, using small fleets and modest fares to test user experience, pricing and operational design. This pilot is Tesla’s first real-world step from supervised Full Self-Driving trials toward a commercial robotaxi deployment.
NHTSA Launches Investigation Into Tesla (January 2025)
U.S. safety regulators opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles over a remote control capability, following reported accidents. The report flagged insufficient system controls, which led the vehicles to malfunction and crash. This corrective action highlighted serious safety gaps within Tesla’s autonomy roadmap, and triggered prolonged regulatory and public scrutiny.
Cybercab Concept Unveiled (October 2024)
Tesla unveiled its purpose-built Cybercab robotaxi concept in Los Angeles, offering attendees brief demo rides. This signaled Tesla’s move from retrofitting consumer vehicles to designing a dedicated robotaxi platform.
Tesla Recalls Full Self-Driving Software (December 2023)
Tesla issued its largest-ever recall — affecting more than 2 million U.S. vehicles equipped with Autosteer (a core part of its Autopilot system). The company delivered a mandatory over-the-air software update to enhance driver attention alerts, engagement checks and safe use of the system.
Tesla Announces Robotaxis (October 2019)
Elon Musk announced plans for a network of fully autonomous Tesla robotaxis to be operational as early as 2020, projecting more than 1 million vehicles on the road, according to CNN. The ambitious forecast helped frame Tesla’s narrative around the future of autonomous ridesharing, though the timeline has since slipped by several years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Tesla robotaxi service?
Tesla’s robotaxi service is an on-demand ride-hailing system using fully autonomous electric vehicles to transport passengers without human drivers or supervision. Riders will book trips through an app, and the cars will operate using Tesla’s unsupervised Full Self-Driving software.
Where are Tesla robotaxis currently available?
The service launched in Austin, Texas, in June 2025 with a fleet of self-driving Model 3s and Model Ys. The company also introduced a limited taxi service in San Francisco, but it is still legally required to have drivers in all of the vehicles for the time being. Further U.S. and international rollouts are targeted for 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
What is the Cybercab and when will it be released?
The Cybercab is a two-passenger, all-electric, purpose-built robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals. Tesla unveiled the prototype in October 2024, with production expected to begin in 2026.
What regulations impact Tesla’s robotaxi rollout?
Deployment depends on a mix of state and federal regulations. While more than 35 U.S. states allow some form of autonomous vehicle operation, Tesla still faces permitting requirements in certain areas like California. International expansion, especially to Europe and China, will be shaped by stricter safety, environmental and AI governance rules.
