Tesla’s first robotaxi caught driving solo in Austin before launch date
Published on Jun 12, 2025 at 8:33 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 12, 2025 at 11:22 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A driverless Tesla robotaxi has been seen out and about in Austin, Texas, ahead of the service being rolled out later this month.
As the service gears up to be launched in the Austin, Tesla has recently been listed as an official operator of autonomous vehicles.
The highly anticipated autonomous taxi service is set to be introduced with around 10 taxis and then increase in number fairly rapidly.
Once it is up and running in Austin, the EV maker plans to bring it to more cities, including Los Angeles and San Antonio.
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The Tesla robotaxi has already been soft-launched in certain cities, including Austin and San Francisco, but for now, it has only been used by Tesla employees.
However, a clip on social media shows one of its driverless robotaxis out and about on the streets of Austin, presumably in preparation for the upcoming launch.
The company has previously confirmed it was aiming for a June start date.
One insider recently told Bloomberg that is was poised to launch on June 12.
But on X, Tesla boss Elon Musk has since announced that date has been pushed, and the first public rides will begin ‘tentatively, June, 22.’
He went on to say that the date ‘could shift’.
Musk also revealed that the first Tesla to fully drive itself from the production line to a customer’s was scheduled for June 28.
As for the robotaxi service, it seems as primed and ready, with a clip shared on X showing the driverless taxi turning off Congress Avenue and onto West James Street in Austin.
In the short clip, the autonomous vehicle can be seen stopping to allow pedestrians to cross the road before moving on.
The car has a ‘robotaxi’ decal on the door and appeared to be being closely followed by a Model Y, most likely with a Tesla employee inside to watch over the trip.
The clip has been reshared by Ashok Elluswamy, who heads up Tesla’s Autopilot team.
Slowly slowly at first, then … https://t.co/MxYCwhGJZw
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 10, 2025
“Slowly slowly at first, then …” he wrote.
Musk has said the robotaxi service will be launched using consumer models of Tesla’s EVs before eventually incorporating its purpose-built Cybercab later down the line.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
