Will the Robotaxi ever arrive? Elon Musk has been promising it would take just one year for the past six, and experts remain skeptical

Elon Musk has been promising fully autonomous vehicles for years, including the Tesla Cybercab, Robotaxi. The self-driving car has yet to come to fruition, and despite a potential launch date being hinted, Tesla is facing more challenges than ever.

Will we ever see the Robotaxi?

Tesla recently stated that it expects the Robotaxi service, which would self-drive passengers in Tesla Model Y vehicles, to launch in June in Austin, Texas. On May 1, Tesla AI’s X account dropped an extremely vague hint that the launch date could be as soon as June 1.

Tesla has been working with the city of Austin and refining its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system. It’s expected to start with supervised rides using teleoperator and the Robotaxis will use just 10-20 cars at the initial launch.

Although Tesla has not confirmed an exact launch date, Musk seems to be unusually confident about the June 1 timeline, after having missed several past deadlines promised.

“The team and I are laser-focused on bringing robotaxi to Austin in June,” said. Musk. “Unsupervised autonomy will first be solved for the Model Y in Austin.”

Tesla is currently facing unique challenges it didn’t have in the past. Its net income has fallen 71% in the first quarter of this year with a profit of just $595 million in regulatory credits - a practice that may end soon if Donald Trump’s administration eliminates current emissions rules. The company is losing money on its main business - selling cars. Profits and sales are shrinking in key markets like China and Europe. Musk isn’t doing himself any favors with his political activism either, which is damaging the reputation of Tesla.

Musk continues to promote the upcoming Robotaxi service as a key to Tesla’s future value, but his unfulfilled past promises have many feeling wary. Even Musk himself admitted back in 2023, “I’m the boy who cried FSD”. He also called his vision for the time frame “optimistic”.

Although some Tesla investors still feel hopeful, major automakers like GM and Ford have pulled back from the development, citing high costs and uncertain profitability.

“Profitable, fully autonomous vehicles at scale are a long way off,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley.

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