Tesla has officially begun offering public robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without onboard safety monitors, marking a historic milestone in its autonomous driving roadmap. These fully driverless vehicles are now operating on city streets, allowing passengers to ride unaccompanied — a first for Tesla’s commercialization of autonomy. (雅虎财经)
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CEO Elon Musk shared a video showing the unsupervised robotaxi in action on social media platform X. (雅虎财经)
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Tesla VP of AI Software Ashok Elluswamy confirmed that while the initial rollout is limited, these unsupervised vehicles will increase gradually. (Business Insider)
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This follows earlier phases where rides required human safety monitors, and now represents a major step toward Level 4 autonomy. (维基百科)
Why it matters:
This is one of the boldest moves yet from Tesla’s autonomous division — a live proof point that the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) ambitions are advancing beyond test-only status and into real-world service.
📈 Tesla Stock Reacts Positively
The market is responding strongly to this news:
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Shares popped, with some reports noting gains over 4% on the day as investors cheer the robotaxi development. (投资者网站)
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The enthusiasm reflects belief that autonomous ride-hailing could unlock massive new revenue streams beyond vehicle sales.
Investor takeaway:
Tesla’s push into robotaxis — and soon purpose-built Cybercab vehicles — may redefine how Wall Street values the company, tipping the narrative from traditional EV maker to autonomous tech and mobility provider.
🧠 Context: Autonomy & FSD in 2026
Here’s where Tesla stands in the broader autonomy race:
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The Tesla Robotaxi service first launched in Austin in June 2025 and has been expanding, first with safety monitors and now without them. (维基百科)
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The company aims to scale to additional cities in 2026, with eventual licensing and expansion of fully autonomous services. (FX Leaders)
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Tesla’s long-term autonomous strategy also ties into its planned Cybercab vehicle — a purpose-built robotaxi designed without pedals or steering wheels — projected into production before 2027. (维基百科)
🧩 Ongoing Challenges & Regulatory Headwinds
Despite this exciting progress, Tesla still faces regulatory and safety scrutiny:
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U.S. safety regulators recently extended the investigation into its FSD software, covering millions of vehicles amid concerns about traffic violations and crashes. (apnews.com)
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Critics continue to compare Tesla’s vision-only autonomy approach with competitors like Waymo, which have amassed more miles and ridership. (theverge.com)
🛠️ What’s Next for Tesla in 2026
🔹 Expansion of robotaxi operations to more cities
🔹 Broader FSD regulatory approvals (Europe & China likely key)
🔹 Cybercab production ramp starting
🔹 Continued stock market focus on autonomous & AI tech
