Tesla’s robotaxi will be available to a select few for the first time in the near future, but they will not be alone. The company plans to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing system in Austin, Texas, tomorrow. According to reports, a “Tesla Safety Monitor” is expected to accompany the first riders. Email invitations were sent to “Early Access Riders.” Although it’s not clear what capabilities the safety monitors will have, they will sit on the front passenger seat of a Model Y.
In the email, several parameters were outlined, including that users are limited to a geofenced region that excludes airports and could experience unavailability because of bad weather. They can also only hail a robotaxi from 6 am to midnight. This restricted launch will only offer 10 cars, and comes after a delayed launch from an original launch date of June 12. Tesla has set a date for its robotaxi service to be offered with the Model Y. This robotaxi service is laying the foundation for a future Cybercab release. According to the company, this is not expected to begin production until at least 2020. Tesla’s robotaxi will be competing with Waymo for the time being. Waymo began offering its competitive services to Austin residents in March.
