Elon Musk’s BIG announcement, Tesla to launch robotaxi in…, will Donald Trump create trouble for it?

Elon Musk announced that Tesla is “tentatively” planning to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 22.

In a post on his X social media platform, Musk emphasized that the date remains flexible as Tesla is taking extra precautions to prioritize safety.

Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch in Austin sometime in June.

Last month, Musk told CNBC that the taxis will be remotely monitored at first and “geofenced” to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate. He said he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities.

Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles “next year” for a decade, but the pressure is on now as Tesla actually begins to operate a self-driving taxi service. Sales of Tesla’s electric vehicles have sagged due to increased competition, the retooling of its most popular car, the Model Y, and the fallout from Musk’s turn to politics.

Some analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate by encouraging federal safety regulators to to step in at any sign of trouble for the robotaxis. 

(With Input From Agencies)  

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