Elon Musk Confirms Tesla RoboTaxi Unveiling On August 8

Tesla is all set to reveal its long-awaited robotaxi on August 8, 2024, Elon Musk has confirmed via a post on X (formerly Twitter). The upcoming autonomous vehicle will be reportedly built on Tesla’s next-generation platform for vehicles, promising a new market for the company. Musk’s post comes at a time when rumours have been rife that Tesla’s much-anticipated entry-level EV project has been cancelled. Reports suggest that the sub$25,000 mass-market EV could’ve taken the brunt in favour of the autonomous vehicle. 

While Musk has been known to put forth his ambitious plans, recent reports state that Tesla is yet to reach out to robotaxi regulators in the US. NBC News reported that the California Department of Motor Vehicles and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said that Tesla hadn’t applied for the two permits it would need to operate a driverless car service in California, US. The states of Arizona and Nevada, which also require permits to operate robotaxis, have also confirmed no one’s reached out to Tesla yet. 

California is a major centre for testing and operating robotaxis in the US, so the absence of any permits for the market has experts questioning its launch timelines. The US Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) also issues a permit to automakers to deploy autonomous equipment on public roads. At present, only three companies have the highest-level permit to deploy autonomous vehicles without human drivers. On the other hand, Tesla has the lowest-level permit, which requires a human driver to be present in the car when testing autonomous vehicles. 

If Tesla is to deploy autonomous vehicles in different parts of the US, it will require permits from the DMV as well. Receiving a permit requires a few months across multiple regulatory bodies. 

It’s unclear what Tesla has in store for August 8. The company remains tight-lipped about what it plans to convey about robotaxis, and the EV giant could make some announcements about its testing and feasibility in the coming months. Musk previously spoke about the Tesla robotaxi last year as part of the company’s third master plan. There were also plans for Tesla owners to add their cars to the shared fleet app, allowing them to generate income remotely. 

Tesla has been actively building its full self-driving hardware capabilities, which would propel the robotaxi plans for the near future. However, we could just see headline-worthy announcements on August 8 and roll-out plans.