Tesla Robotaxi Service Expected To Debut In 2025
Tesla’s upcoming autonomous vehicle fleet will have backup human operators, ready to step in remotely for safety.
The company’s head of inverter relations, Travis Axelrod met with Deutsche Bank, which says that Tesla will launch its autonomous taxi service in California and Texas next year. While Axelrod did not respond to requests for comment, Deutsche Bank tells Reuters, "Tesla believes it would be reasonable to assume some type of teleoperator would be needed at least initially for safety/redundancy purposes.
Management intends to start entirely with the company-owned fleet" and to use its own ride-hailing app.
Tesla’s 2025 launch will also coincide with the new Trump Administration. The incoming administration is rumored to prioritize the creation of a federal framework for fully autonomous vehicles. Current regulations limit manufacturers to just 2,500 active units.
Also covered during the meeting was Tesla’s upcoming entry-level model. Speculatively dubbed the “Model Q,” this upcoming EV may be in the pipeline for the first half of 2025, though a price point was not discussed.
The entry-level model will slot in under Tesla’s Model 3, potentially at or near the $30,000 mark.
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Chase is an automotive journalist with years of experience in the industry. He writes for outlets like Edmunds and AutoGuide, among many others. When not writing, Chase is in front of the camera over at The Overrun, his YouTube channel run alongside his friend and co-host Jobe Teehan. If he's not writing reviews of the latest in cars or producing industry coverage, Chase is at home in the driver's seat of his own (usually German) sports cars.
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