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Elon Musk reveals bold new timeline for long-awaited Tesla tech: 'I predict there will be millions of Teslas operating autonomously'

"The figure of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars."

"The figure of the company is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars."

Photo Credit: iStock

Tesla's long-awaited robotaxi may be just weeks away from launch.

During the company's first-quarter earnings call, Tesla officials confirmed that its autonomous network of taxis should be on the road in June in Austin, Texas. 

As Not a Tesla App reported, Tesla will begin the project with 10 to 20 Model Ys on day one and ramp up from there. Its goal is to have enough vehicles running by the end of June or early July that anyone in Austin who wants to use the service will be able to. From there, the company expects to expand the service quickly and aggressively.

"I predict there will be millions of Teslas operating autonomously, fully autonomously, in the second half of next year," CEO Elon Musk said.

Tesla isn't the first company to offer driverless rides in Austin. Its chief competitor in the space, Waymo, has recorded roughly 1 million monthly rides among its offerings in Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. 

Musk didn't seem worried about Waymo on the earnings call, saying that Teslas cost significantly less to make than its competitor's vehicles and that he expects Tesla to have "99% market share, or something ridiculous."

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Another key development in Tesla's robotaxi network is the Cybercab, a driverless vehicle with no steering wheel or other human-operated controls, which can carry two passengers. Pictures taken from the company's Giga Texas factory in April seemed to show new castings for the Cybercab.

Musk didn't give many details on the Cybercab during the earnings call — while affirming the Model Y robotaxi project is "on track" — but Tesla has previously said the vehicle should be available for customers to use sometime in 2026.

The robotaxi launch comes at a tumultuous time for Tesla, which is widely credited with reinvigorating an electric vehicle industry that was basically nonexistent — enticing drivers who want a more eco-friendly mode of transport to make the switch to low-maintenance EVs

On the earnings call, Musk discussed the company's considerable income and revenue declines compared to 2024. Sales have also dropped, and Tesla's stock price fell by more than 30% during the first quarter.

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Along with releasing new, lower-priced models, Tesla is banking on driverless vehicles and technology as a key part of its financial strategy moving forward.

"The future of the company," Musk said, "is fundamentally based on large-scale autonomous cars and large-scale, large volume, vast numbers of autonomous humanoid robots."

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