Tesla claims to have delivered on Elon Musk’s promise to “open up” Robotaxi in September, albeit with some caveats.
Anyone with an iPhone can now download the Tesla Robotaxi app and join a waitlist.
Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the automaker would open up its Robotaxi service to the public in September.
As we previously reported, this doesn’t mean much because Tesla’s service is still limited due to its small fleet, which requires in-car supervisors at all times.
Nonetheless, Tesla decided to “open up” the Robotaxi, but mostly the app:
Now, all iPhone users in the US can download the app, but all it enables you to do is join a waitlist.
Presumably, if you are located in Austin or the Bay Area, you have a higher chance of being approved sooner, as those are the only areas where the service currently operates, with low double-digit fleets of vehicles operating under the supervision of managers.
Android users are expected to be supported at a later date.
Electrek’s Take
At this point, it looks like Tesla Robotaxi is just a larger-scale FSD demonstration ride. The only people who are impressed by this are those who have never experienced Tesla FSD.
We already know that FSD can perform all the tasks related to driving; the only problem is that it can’t perform them reliably enough over tens of thousands of miles to achieve level 4 autonomy.
Hence, the driver is required to supervise at all times in consumer vehicles, and a Tesla employee is supervising in every Robotaxi.
The data is the only thing that matters right now with Robotaxi. Everything else is just fluff.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
