|5 min. read The logo of Tesla is seen on a store in Paris, France, October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo (CHARLES PLATIAU / REUTERS) Tesla faces an existential test this month as it aims to launch self-driving “robotaxis” in its home base of Austin, Texas, where public-safety officials are increasingly concerned about the state’s anti-regulation stance toward autonomous vehicles. For Tesla, the launch of between 10 and 20 Model Y vehicles follows a decade of unfulfilled promises of self-driving vehicles from CEO Elon Musk, who last year staked the company’s future on such technology as it pivoted away from chasing rapid growth in electric-vehicle sales. The Austin robotaxi launch, which Musk says will “tentatively” open to the public on June 22, comes as Tesla tries to arrest a global vehicle-sales slide, stemming from both its aging lineup of human-driven electric vehicles and Musk’s right-wing political activities. Related: “We’re going to be extremely paranoid about the deployment, as we should be,” he said. Musk and Tesla have not said who the passengers will be, how Tesla will charge for rides, where in Austin they will operate or how extensive the remote operation will be. Rivals have started testing with their own employees and a limited number of passengers before opening the services to anyone. In a post on X on Tuesday night, Musk said public rides would begin “tentatively, June 22,” adding “the date could shift.” One video that surfaced on social media on Tuesday, which Musk reposted, showed a Model Y with the word “Robotaxi” driving on a street in Austin with no human driver, followed closely by a second Tesla vehicle. In a May 28 post on X, Musk said the company had recently started testing “self-driving” vehicles on Austin public streets with “no one in driver’s seat.” Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Advertisement Tesla advertisements for “teleoperation” positions say the company needs the ability to “access and control” autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots remotely, adding that such employees can “remotely perform complex and intricate tasks.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration inquired last month about many of the unanswered questions surrounding the Austin rollout. The agency, which is investigating Tesla’s FSD driver-assistance feature after a fatal crash in 2023, sent a detailed request seeking information about safety features, Tesla’s timetable for expansion, where exactly it will be operating the vehicles and how it is preparing for accidents and emergency scenarios. The responses are due next week. A person familiar with NHTSA’s operations said the agency sent the letter because it already has concerns about Tesla’s current FSD technology, which it sells to customers for $99 a month, and it fears that Tesla’s Austin rollout may not be safe. Advertisement The Texas attorney general is considering a Reuters request for communications between Tesla and city officials in Austin over the past two years, which Tesla has opposed over trade secrets concerns. Austin’s Department of Transportation and Public Works declined to discuss Tesla’s operations. A person familiar with Austin’s autonomous-vehicle policies said the city has been meeting regularly with Tesla since December and that the company has shared some deployment plans with the city. Safety experts say there has been a dearth of information about Tesla’s technology. Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said Musk’s statements “leave room for ambiguity” about its plans in Austin and the sophistication of its robotaxi technology. “When you start to pin it down, it’s like jello,” he said. He questioned whether Tesla would be ready for a rapid nationwide rollout soon. Advertisement “Having 10 cars on the road and not having a crash,” Koopman said, “is sort of table stakes for this game.” (Reporting by Chris Kirkham in Los Angeles. Additional reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Houston and Rachael Levy and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Peter Henderson and Matthew Lewis) ex.co script has been added to the page More about: