Tesla officially launched the Robotaxi platform to a limited group of people in Austin, Texas, on June 22.
Tesla shares closed up by more than 8 percent on June 23 after the electric vehicle pioneer launched its highly anticipated driverless taxi service for a select group of riders.
According to the company’s X feed and website, Tesla officially launched the Robotaxi platform to a limited group of people in Austin, Texas, on June 22. Over the past 24 hours, the company’s feed on X has showcased several taxi passengers and influencers sharing videos of their first rides in the self-driving Tesla taxi service.
Elon Musk’s X feed on June 22 also included dozens of reposts and comments about the new Robotaxi service, including one remark saying, “Culmination of a decade of hard work.” He also reposted several videos and wry comments about the autonomous taxi service’s safety and driving features.
One repost features a YouTube video showing a single passenger, identified as “Zack,” inside a Robotaxi driving down the street, accompanied by the comment, “Roboception.” That post has more than 1.3 million views. In another Tesla-focused post, Farzad Meshabi, an X influencer with over 333,000 followers, shares three different Robotaxi rides he takes on Sunday.
In the video that has collected 16.2 million views, Meshabi highlights his second ride in the robotaxi service, commenting, “Super smooth. It is literally like riding in a Tesla. Hanging out and there’s no driver. Zero drama.”
According to another X post by Teslarati, which was also retweeted by Tesla’s official X account, there are only a limited number of Robotaxi vehicles currently operating within the fleet, as Tesla had indicated the number would initially be between 10 and 20 cars.
Through the company’s invitation-only Tesla Robotaxi app, customers can request a ride and manage their trip experience on their smartphone or other online platform. During the ride, passengers can also enjoy different entertainment features, such as music streaming, by using the vehicle’s touchscreen or the Robotaxi app.
Additionally, Tesla is currently charging a flat rate of $4.20 per ride for the service. If customers want to leave a tip, they will see a page with Tesla’s hedgehog mascot saying, “Just Kidding.”
By Wesley Brown
