Tesla’s Robotaxis Hit the Streets — But Are They Safe?

Tesla prepares for a high-stakes rollout of its robotaxis in Austin amid growing safety worries and ongoing controversy. The electric car manufacturer plans to deploy a small fleet, roughly 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles, starting June 22, a move that signals a major turning point for both the company and its autonomous driving ambitions. The launch comes after years of promises from Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, who last year insisted the future of the company depends on delivering fully autonomous rides.

According to Reuters, some investors view the robotaxi rollout as a make-or-break moment for Tesla’s future, tying much of its market value to its ability to bring a driverless service to the mass market. The company’s expansion plans call for growing its operations to many other U.S. cities by year’s end and, Musk predicts, putting “millions of Teslas” on the road by the second half of 2025. However, growing safety worries and limited oversight from regulators in Texas, a state that has prohibited cities from placing their own regulations on autonomous vehicles, have raised significant doubts about whether the technology is ready for that kind of expansion. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Tesla’s driver-assistance systems following a fatal crash last year, adding additional scrutiny just as the robotaxi rollout prepares to accelerate.

Public safety advocates in Austin say there’s a growing need for greater oversight and regulations to account for the new technology’s shortcomings, noting that autonomous vehicles from companies like Waymo and GM’s now-defunct Cruise have gotten confused by unusual situations, disregarded barriers, or failed to respond appropriately to human signals. Tesla’s rollout will be geofenced to “the safest” areas of the city, with remotely controlled supervisors able to intervene if problems arise, but many details remain unknown, including pricing, service areas, or the number of passengers. The NHTSA is currently investigating Tesla’s plans and the city is following their progress closely as the new era of driverless ridesharing prepares to unfold.