After announcing that Tesla would roll out its autonomous cab service this year, co-founder and CEO Elon Musk confirmed the company is officially launching its robotaxi service on Sunday, June 22.
In a post on X, Musk revealed the robotaxis will debut in Austin, Texas, where customers will pay a flat fee of $4.20. "The (Tesla AI) robotaxi launch begins in Austin this afternoon with customers paying a $4.20 flat fee!" Musk announced.
With this launch, Tesla is looking to close the gap with Waymo, the current leader in the autonomous ride-hailing industry. Waymo reports having completed 10 million paid rides across several major cities, including Austin, where Tesla is making its debut.
Amazon is also preparing to enter the space later this year. The tech giant acquired Zoox for $1.2 billion about five years ago and built a facility in Silicon Valley, expected to produce 10,000 robotaxis annually.
However, Amazon and Zoox remain behind Tesla and Waymo, with plans to begin operations in Las Vegas later this year and expand to San Francisco in 2026.