Fatma Zehra Solmaz
30 January 2025•Update: 30 January 2025
ISTANBUL
Billionaire Elon Musk announced that Tesla plans to launch robotaxi services in California and other US markets later this year with "unsupervised" full-self-driving cars available as a paid service in Austin, Texas, by June, Fortune magazine reported.
Musk expressed confidence during an earnings call Wednesday that his company will see significant growth in the coming years due to its advancements in autonomous driving.
“Right now, there is this perverse situation where people actually go to manual driving to check their text messages so the computer doesn’t yell at them,” said Musk.
He claimed some drivers steer with their knees to read emails and texts, which he said is “significantly less safe” than allowing them to take their hands off the steering wheel.
It was Musk's first conversation with analysts since November’s election win of President Donald Trump, with Musk serving as a major ally.
Tesla's full self-driving system still requires occasional driver intervention but is improving rapidly, with the goal of surpassing human drivers' safety.
The company plans to start mass production in 2026 of its "Cybercab" – a car without a steering wheel, specifically designed for robotaxi use. Tesla has been testing its robotaxi service with employees in the Bay Area of California since last year, with safety drivers ready to intervene if needed.
Musk expects to launch a paid ride-hailing service in California and Texas later this year, pending regulatory approval. Tesla is not yet licensed to operate a commercial autonomous ride-hailing service in the state of California.
Additionally, Musk highlighted the development of Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus, which will begin production in 2025.
"Optimus will be able to play the piano and thread a needle," said Musk.
Tesla is also focused on producing more affordable electric vehicles, with production set to begin in the first half of 2025.
Despite a 71% drop in net income to $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter, Tesla's revenue rose 2% to $25.7 billion.
Tesla's prospects, particularly the development of Optimus, remain the primary focus for investors.
Musk said Tesla plans to produce at least several thousand Optimus robots in 2025.
