• Elon Musk confirmed Tesla's trial of robotaxis in Austin starting by the end of June.
• Initially, 10 robotaxis will be deployed, scaling up to 1,000 within months.
• The service will be limited to the safest areas, using geo-fencing technology.
• Concerns regarding safety regulations and prior incidents are under scrutiny.
• Musk emphasizes a shift in Tesla’s focus towards autonomy and artificial intelligence.

Tesla is set to commence its long-awaited robotaxi service trial in Austin, Texas, by the end of June, as confirmed by CEO Elon Musk. The company plans to deploy around 10 self-driving cars initially, with aspirations to scale up to approximately 1,000 vehicles within a few months. This rollout will not encompass the entire Austin area but will focus on specific regions deemed the safest, as Musk stated, "We are actually going to deploy not to the entire Austin region, but only the parts that are the safest," according to Channel News Asia, Business Insider, and Reuters.

The CEO also voiced plans to extend the robotaxi service to other US cities post-Austin, notably aiming for a fleet of over 1 million self-driving Teslas across the nation by the end of 2026. This ambitious target reflects Musk's commitment to accelerating the rollout of autonomous vehicle technology, which has proven challenging due to strict regulations and safety requirements. In 2019, he faced criticism after failing to meet an earlier target of having a million operational robotaxis, a timeline he humorously acknowledged by stating punctuality is not his "strong suit," as mentioned in Business Insider and Reuters.

The initial trial will employ an "invite-only" model and operate with the help of teleoperators, who can intervene if the vehicles encounter difficulties. This model, though unique to Tesla, mirrors practices of competitors like Waymo and Zoox, which handle similar scenarios differently. Musk emphasized the importance of establishing nationwide regulations for the deployment of self-driving cars, acknowledging that the current process varies significantly from state to state; he stated, "The approval process is very haphazard and sort of state-by-state, and sometimes city-by-city," according to Channel News Asia and Business Insider.

Moreover, Tesla has come under scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and how it performs under adverse conditions, specifically in poor weather scenarios. The regulator is currently probing collisions linked to this software, which has contributed to delays in the rollout plans, as highlighted by Channel News Asia and Reuters.