10 cars, equipped with safety drivers, operating within a limited range! Tesla officially launches "autonomous driving taxis," with comments and criticisms far less than Waymo
Tesla officially launched its "autonomous taxi" service, currently equipped with only 10 vehicles, operating from 6 AM to midnight, and only within a geofenced area. Most importantly, the vehicles are still equipped with safety operators and remote operators, with a uniform charge of $4.20. Analysts believe that compared to Waymo, which has already provided fully autonomous driving services in multiple locations, Tesla has a tough road ahead to catch up
The highly anticipated Tesla "autonomous driving taxi" has officially launched, but unlike the driverless service previously promoted by Elon Musk, it not only includes "safety supervisors" but also has strict limitations on service range and hours.
On June 22, Tesla officially launched the "autonomous driving taxi," with multiple Model Y vehicles marked as Robotaxi appearing on the streets of Austin. The originally scheduled start time for operations was 6 AM, but it was ultimately delayed to 12 PM.
Currently, the fleet size of Tesla's "autonomous driving taxi" is small, initially equipped with only about 10 vehicles, operating between 6 AM and midnight, and providing services only within a geofenced area.
It is noteworthy that the most significant limitation is the presence of a safety supervisor in the front passenger seat, which sharply contrasts with Musk's previous promotion of a driverless service.
Musk stated on social media that the service will charge a uniform fee of $4.20. He also emphasized that the company is "particularly cautious" regarding safety.
According to reports, Musk mentioned earlier this month that he plans to deploy 1,000 robot taxis "within a few months" and expand services to cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
However, the current service limitations and regulatory environment pose uncertainties for this expansion plan.
Service Limitations Exceed Expectations
According to an invitation sent by Tesla to some social media influencers, the restrictions on this "robot taxi" service exceed market expectations.
First, currently, Tesla Robotaxi is still in the internal testing phase, and only invited users can order through the app; it is not open to all users. After downloading and installing the app, users need to log in and agree to the user agreement before they can hail a ride.
Second, the app currently indicates the geographical range of operation. It operates only within the geofenced area, avoids complex intersections, does not include airports, and may pause or be unavailable under severe weather conditions.
Third, the most important limitation is the presence of a safety supervisor, in addition to a remote operator available for intervention in case of issues.
Tesla staff have posted images of the backend monitoring work on social media.
The currently available Tesla Robotaxi experience video shows:
The vehicle can come to the parking lot to pick up passengers, and when the Robotaxi arrives, the external lights will flash to help passengers find the car more easily.
During the vehicle's journey, the rear screen will flash to indicate the time required for the trip and the arrival time.
After arriving at the destination and making the payment, passengers can rate their trip experience and decide whether to give a tip.
Regulatory Pressure Continues to Increase
A group of Texas Democratic lawmakers recently sent a letter to Tesla urging the company to postpone its robot taxi service until September, when new laws regarding autonomous vehicles will take effect.
Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation last Friday, requiring operators of autonomous vehicles to obtain a state license.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently conducting multiple investigations into Tesla's claims regarding the capabilities of its autonomous driving and "full self-driving" systems.
The regulatory agency sent a letter to Tesla in early May requesting more information about the technology used for the robot taxi service.
Reports indicate that despite the name of Tesla's "full self-driving" system, it still requires a human to sit in the driver's seat and remain attentive throughout the journey, contrasting with Google's Waymo taxi service.
Waymo conducted a year-long testing phase before launching commercial services in Austin, which included six months with a safety driver and six months without a safety driver, and is currently offering fully driverless ride-hailing services in places like San Francisco.
Barclays analyst Dan Levy warned that there is still a lot of work to be done in building the infrastructure to support fully autonomous vehicles, stating, "catching up to or surpassing Waymo is no easy task."
