Tesla to Launch Robotaxi Network in June: What to Expect and When You Can Add Your Car

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has been working on FSD Unsupervised for quite a while—the hands-off, eyes-off version of FSD. That’ll be the same version of FSD that can get you from Point A to Point B without any user intervention and no requirement for keeping your eyes on the road or your hands on the wheel.

June 2025 is Tesla’s date for the next step in vehicle autonomy and the public introduction of Unsupervised FSD - which was announced at Tesla’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call - so let’s take a closer look at what’s coming.

Launch Date for Robotaxi Fleet

Tesla’s launch of Unsupervised FSD will be in Austin, Texas, but it’ll be limited to its Robotaxi fleet. Vehicle owners won’t be able to access Unsupervised FSD themselves or join the autonomous fleet initially. Tesla announced that its launch in Austin would be for a paid Robotaxi service, much like Waymo’s. Tesla will use it to refine the Robotaxi experience and Unsupervised FSD.

They’ll be working on the whole experience - start to finish - from summoning the robotaxi from the app, to how it arrives, how your trip progresses, where it drops you off, and how you pay. That’s an extensive set of systems - some of which may already be in place, as we’ve seen through Tesla’s Robotaxi app mock-ups.

Tesla is taking strict control of the initial deployments of FSD Unsupervised - and for good reason. A single minor incident or accident could spiral into a rapid regulatory issue. Tesla is gently dipping its toes into full autonomy, and once they’re sure that Unsupervised FSD is far safer than an average human driver they can expand it to Tesla owners.

Tesla will also be rolling out Unsupervised FSD in California - and other regions of the US as they gain regulatory approval. Tesla’s FSD is a generalized solution - it doesn't need high-precision or HD mapping and local preparation before being rolled out - instead, Tesla’s biggest hold-backs are safety and improving their software.

As Tesla approaches the launch of the Robotaxi network, it makes us realize how many steps there really are to the puzzle. Tesla will need to have procedures in place on how to deal with issues such as a vehicle getting stuck, someone hitting an emergency button, or even an accident. Tesla will also need to launch its vehicle hubs that will be responsive for cleaning and charging the vehicles.

People go to manual driving to check their phone so that they don’t strike out/get beeped at - and then go back to FSD.

While June 2025 may seem rather aggressive to launch the autonomous service, it’s typical for Tesla to be overly optimistic and aggressive with deadlines, but it gives us a better indication of when they plan to launch Unsupervised FSD. Even if they miss the June launch, we’ll hopefully see the network begin this year, which will be a massive boost for Tesla and its shareholders.

When Can I Join the Robotaxi Fleet?

Tesla will be allowing owners to enroll their own vehicles in cities that are allowing Robotaxi - so if you live in Austin or other cities that have an approved Tesla Robotaxi network, you could get paid to add your vehicle to the Robotaxi fleet.

During the earnings call, Tesla announced that owners could add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet in 2026, although they weren’t more specific than that. This will be at least six months after the Robotaxi network launches.

Elon mentioned during the earnings call that Tesla needs to be supremely confident that the probability of injury or accident is extremely low before they allow FSD Unsupervised on customer vehicles. That’s rather interesting - because he didn’t mention liability - a question that often comes up for autonomous vehicles.

One of the points mentioned by both Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI, as well as Elon was that if there is even a single minor incident - it’ll be headline news globally, even though an average of 40,000 drivers die a year in regular traffic accidents - the majority of which don’t even make local news.

We’ll have to wait and see in 2026 for what really happens for liability and insurance - because true autonomy will hinge on who is liable for what happens in an accident - the vehicle/software manufacturer or the owner of the vehicle.

FSD Unsupervised for Owners

FSD(U) - as we’re calling it - won’t be available for users initially while Tesla tests it with its fleets. Once Tesla gets enough testing done to ensure safety is at the level that it needs - they’ll begin rolling out FSD(U) to owners. Since Tesla expects to let owners add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet in 2026, we expect FSD(U) for vehicle owners to arrive sometime after this date.

Tesla will have more control of a vehicle while it’s being managed by its fleet, so it makes sense for FSD(U) for Tesla owners to arrive later in 2026 or even 2027.

Tesla is aiming for a safety level that is significantly higher than the average human driver - one magnitude higher. Right now, according to the Q4 Vehicle Safety Report, the average driver has an incident on average every 700,000 miles, while a Tesla has one on average every 1.08 million miles. On FSD or Autopilot, that number goes up significantly - to 5.94 million miles. Tesla is aiming to bring that number closer to 7 million miles before they significantly expand FSD(U) - the one-order of magnitude mark.

And it sounds like Elon will be happy to enable it - because he said the following at the earnings call: “People go to manual driving to check their phone so that they don’t strike out/get beeped at - and then go back to FSD.”

And it’s pretty true - it would be much safer if people didn’t do that. Now, getting FSD(U) on our vehicles is just a matter of time. So let’s watch Tesla cut red tape in 2025!

Launch Phases

Tesla will need to beat regulatory hurdles that will eventually challenge their rapid deployment. Tesla hopes to be able to deploy FSD Unsupervised with its Robotaxi fleets throughout the United States by the end of 2025, with it coming to Canada in 2026.

Tesla will be starting with Austin, Texas, where they’ve already obtained regulatory approval, and then move to other cities within the United States in the following months.

Currently, Tesla’s primary use of Unsupervised FSD is happening at Fremont, with vehicles driving themselves from the production line to the delivery lot and in downtown LA, where they’ve been testing with safety drivers to get employees around town. And at the factory - it's happening daily, and reliability - with thousands of vehicles moving from the line to the lot every day.

We imagine Tesla will launch FSD(U) in several phases, potentially looking something like this:

1. Test FSD(U) internally (being done now)

2. Launch the Robotaxi network in small areas for refinement

3. Expand and improve the network

4. Allow non-Tesla-owned vehicles (owners allowed to join)

5. Offer Unsupervised FSD to Tesla owners where Tesla will have less control over the vehicle

As many of you are, we’re really excited to see Tesla’s Robotaxis in the wild for the first time. Like everything else Tesla, expects the release of FSD(U) to be small and gradually grow. It may consist of only employees in Austin at first, or it may include a safety driver, or even be limited to a very small region. While some may be disappointed at first, remember how Tesla rolls out features. Iterations and improvements will come consistently and fast.

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Tesla Updates Robotaxi App: Adds Adjustable Pick Up Locations, Shows Wait Time and More [VIDEO]

Nic Cruz Patane

Tesla is rolling out a fairly big update for its iOS and early-access-only Robotaxi app, delivering a suite of improvements that address user feedback from the initial launch last month. The update improves the user experience with increased flexibility, more information, and overall design polish.

The most prominent feature in this update is that Tesla now allows you to adjust your pickup location. Once a Robotaxi arrives at your pickup location, you have 15 minutes to start the ride. The app will now display the remaining time your Robotaxi will wait for you, counting down from 15:00. The wait time is also shown in the iOS Live Activity if your phone is on the lock screen.

How Adjustable Pickups Work

We previously speculated that Tesla had predetermined pickup locations, as the pickup location wasn’t always where the user was. Now, with the ability to adjust the pickup location, we can clearly see that Tesla has specific locations where users can be picked up.

Rather than allowing users to drop a pin anywhere on the map, the new feature works by having the user drag the map to their desired area. The app then presents a list of nearby, predetermined locations to choose from. Once a user selects a spot from this curated list, they hit “Confirm.” The pickup site can also be changed while the vehicle is en route.

This specific implementation raises an interesting question: Why limit users to predetermined spots? The answer likely lies in how Tesla utilizes fleet data to improve its service.

Here is the new Tesla Robotaxi pickup location adjustment feature.

There are already predetermined pickup points in the area you hover over. pic.twitter.com/X5ki1EAP8X

— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) July 3, 2025

Release Notes

While the app is still only available on iOS through Apple’s TestFlight program, invited users can download and update the app.

Tesla included these release notes in update 25.7.0 of the Robotaxi app:

• You can now adjust pickup location

• Display the remaining wait time at pickup in the app and Live Activity

• Design improvements

• Bug fixes and stability improvements

Nic Cruz Patane

Why Predetermined Pick Up Spots?

The use of predetermined pickup points is less of a limitation and more of a feature. These curated locations are almost certainly spots that Tesla’s fleet data has identified as optimal and safe for an autonomous vehicle to perform a pickup or drop-off.

This suggests that Tesla is methodically “mapping” its service area not just for calibration and validation of FSD builds but also to help perform the first and last 50-foot interactions that are critical to a safe and smooth ride-hailing experience.

An optimal pickup point likely has several key characteristics identified by the fleet, including:

• A safe and clear pull-away area away from traffic

• Good visibility for cameras, free of obstructions

• Easy entry and exit paths for an autonomous vehicle

This change to pick-up locations reveals how Tesla’s Robotaxi Network is more than just Unsupervised FSD. There are a lot of moving parts, many of which Tesla recently implemented, and others that likely still need to be implemented, such as automated charging.

Frequent Updates

This latest update delivers a much-needed feature for adjusting pickup locations, but it also gives us a view into exactly what Tesla is doing with all the data it is collecting with its validation vehicles rolling around Austin, alongside its Robotaxi fleet.

Tesla is quickly iterating on its app and presumably the vehicle’s software to build a reliable and predictable network, using data to perfect every aspect of the experience, from the moment you hail the ride to the moment you step out of the car.

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Tesla Will Face $2 Billion in Lost Profit as 'Big Beautiful Bill' Kills EV Credits

Not a Tesla App

The massive legislative effort titled the "Big Beautiful Bill" is taking direct aim at what has become one of Tesla’s most critical and profitable revenue streams: the sale of US regulatory credits. The bill could eliminate billions of dollars from Tesla’s bottom line each year and will slow down the transition to electric vehicles in the US.

The financial stakes for Tesla are absolutely immense. In 2024, Tesla generated $2.76 billion from selling these credits. This high-margin revenue was the sole reason Tesla posted a profit in Q1 2025; without the $595 million from regulatory credits, Tesla’s reported $409 million in profit would have been a $189 million loss.

How the ZEV Credit System Works

Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) credits are part of state-level programs, led by California, designed to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Each year, automakers are required to hold a certain number of ZEV credits, with the amount based on their total vehicle sales within that state. Under this system, automakers that fail to sell a certain percentage of zero-emission vehicles must either pay a significant fine or purchase credits from a company that exceeds the mandate.

Automakers who fail to sell enough EVs to meet their quota have a deficit and face two choices: pay a hefty fine to the state government for each missing credit (for example, $5,000 per credit in California) or buy credits from a company with a surplus.

As an all-EV company, Tesla generates a massive surplus of these credits. It can then turn around and sell them to legacy automakers at prices cheaper than the fine, creating a win-win scenario: the legacy automaker avoids a larger penalty, and Tesla gains a lucrative, near-pure-profit revenue stream. 

This new bill will dismantle this by eliminating the financial penalties for non-compliance, which would effectively make Tesla’s credits worthless. While the ZEV program is a state law, the Big Beautiful Bill will fully eliminate the penalties at a federal level.

A Multi-Billion Dollar Impact

The removal of US ZEGV credits would be a severe blow to Tesla’s financials. One JPMorgan analyst estimated that the move could reduce Tesla’s earnings by over 50%, representing a potential annual loss of $2 billion. While Tesla also earns similar credits in Europe and China, analysts suggest that 80-90% of its credit revenue in Q1 2025 came from US programs. 

Why the Program Exists

While the impact on Tesla would be direct and immediate, the credit system has a wider purpose. It creates a strong financial incentive for legacy automakers to develop and accelerate their zero-emission vehicle programs, whether it’s hydrogen, electric, or another alternative.

Eliminating the need for these credits would remove that financial pressure. This could allow traditional automakers to slow their EV transition in the US without the fear of a financial penalty, potentially leading to fewer EV choices for consumers and a slower path to vehicle electrification in the country.

Big, But Not Beautiful

On Sunday Morning TV, Elon Musk was asked his thoughts on the Big Beautiful Bill. They were pretty simple. A bill could be big, or it could be beautiful - I don’t know if it can be both, Musk stated.

Elon Musk in new interview: "I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit and undermines the work the DOGE team is doing. I think a bill could be big, or it could be beautiful—I don't know if it can be both." pic.twitter.com/DnyjHN7xCY

— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 28, 2025

The bill poses a threat to Tesla’s bottom line and to the adoption of EVs in the US market, where automakers will no longer have a financial incentive to transition to cleaner vehicles, a market they’ve regularly struggled in when competing against Tesla.

Tesla will have to work carefully in the future to cut expenses to remain profitable after the elimination of these regulatory credits.

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