After 9 years of preparation, Tesla's Robotaxi has launched a pilot service with a charge of $4.2.

Nine years after Elon Musk proposed the Robotaxi plan, Tesla's driverless taxis have finally hit the road for operation.

On June 22 local time, Tesla officially launched the Robotaxi pilot service in Austin, Texas, USA. The first batch of passengers only need to pay a fixed fee of $4.20 to take a Robotaxi. This news was also confirmed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

For this pilot service, Tesla initially deployed a fleet of about 10 to 20 vehicles, all based on the Model Y and equipped with Tesla's self-developed visual perception system and FSD (Full Self-Driving) software.

Currently, the service operates from 6 a.m. to midnight every day. The service area is limited to a specific geofenced area in the south-central part of Austin (north of Highway 290). This area avoids the more complex intersections in the city to ensure the safety and stability of the service.

According to Tesla, to ensure travel safety, there is a safety monitor in the front passenger seat of each Robotaxi. Although they don't have traditional driving control devices, they can intervene in the vehicle when necessary through devices such as the emergency stop button. At the same time, the vehicle is also equipped with biosensors that can monitor passengers' sudden health problems in real-time and automatically call the police. Tesla employees will also ensure the safety of the fleet operation in real-time through the remote monitoring system and can take over the vehicle with one click in case of an emergency.

This pilot service adopts an invitation system. Tesla has sent invitations to some employees, car owners, and Powerwall users. These invitees can download the corresponding app to make a reservation for the experience.

Tesla also emphasized that during the ride, the in-car cameras and microphones are turned off by default to protect passengers' privacy. Passengers can activate these devices themselves if needed. The microphone is mainly used to detect the sirens of emergency vehicles. Except in special emergency situations, the collected sound will not be transmitted to Tesla's servers.

Tesla started planning to launch the Robotaxi service as early as 2016. In October last year, the company introduced a driverless taxi concept car called CyberCab, which has no steering wheel, pedals, or control devices. Musk also revealed that the cost of the Tesla CyberCab is expected to be less than $30,000, and it is planned to go into production in 2026, equipped with FSD (Tesla's fully self-driving system).

Although the FSD V12 system claims to have L4-level autonomous driving capabilities, its reliability in complex weather conditions (such as heavy rain and thick fog) and special traffic situations needs further verification.

Meanwhile, Tesla's Robotaxi also needs to face the challenges from its domestic competitors in the United States. Currently, Waymo has achieved commercial operation of more than 1,500 Robotaxis in multiple cities, and another company, Zoox, will also launch Robotaxi services in Austin and Las Vegas.

However, according to Musk's plan, the size of the Robotaxi fleet will quickly expand to 1,000 vehicles within a few months. It is estimated that by the end of 2026, more than one million self-driving Teslas will be in operation in the United States.

In this regard, Goldman Sachs analysts expect that Tesla will deploy about 2,500 Robotaxis by 2027. Analysts from Morgan Stanley, Morningstar, and other institutions generally believe that the large-scale implementation of Robotaxis may occur around 2028, and Musk's previous goal of 2026 may be too optimistic.

This article is from "Jiemian News", reporter: Song Jianan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.