Elon Musk announces date for the Tesla robotaxi release: What do we know about the car so far?

Elon Musk made a splash on Friday announcing the date of ‘Robotaxi’ release, which will take place on 8 August, 2024. The message was brief, and no subsequent details have been published.

A long time coming...

The robotaxi has been in the works for years. In 2019, it was described as a self-driving taxi that its owners could rent out. While the prototype will be unveiled later this year, that does not mean the vehicles will be available on the market. By 2020, Musk had planned to have a fleet of self-driving taxis on the road, but various delays have pushed that goal back. At the time, the Tesla CEO was “confident [...] that there will be autonomous robotaxis from Tesla next year” because they would not seek regulatory approval in all jurisdictions they were hoping to deploy the vehicles. In 2022, Tesla’s 10-Q, submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission, said that no decisions had been made as to where the Robotaxi will be manufactured. Very few details have been released on the Robotaxi, and it remains to be seen whether any will be made public before the August event.

Elon Musk has used much of his Tesla holdings to finance the purchase of X, which has caused the company’s stock price to fall. Tesla’s stock price has fallen ten percent over the last year, and the CEO may be pushing out new products to make up for lost value.