A prototype of the Tesla Cybercab autonomous vehicle.
Tesla Inc.Musk Pins Tesla's Comeback on Robotaxis After Retreat From Feud
The EV maker’s CEO said the service will ‘tentatively’ start on June 22 but could shift due to safety reasons.
Tesla Inc. already had a lot riding on its highly anticipated robotaxi launch long before Elon Musk decided to swing a wrecking ball through his alliance with President Donald Trump — and the company’s share price. Now investors are looking for a win that can help repair the brand damage and shift Tesla back into growth mode.
Musk said Tesla would start the new self-driving car service in Austin as soon as June 22, as part of the EV maker's big bet on artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. While Tesla gave the city an outline of its tentative plans, the company hadn’t disclosed a launch date — either publicly or directly to Austin officials — until late on Tuesday, when Musk warned the service’s debut could shift because it was “super paranoid about safety.”
The proclamation came as part of an all-night series of social media messages by Musk, which included a near-apology that “I regret some of my posts” about the president, which “went too far.” The comments helped push shares up about 3% Wednesday by investors who have been urging Musk to refocus on his business empire.