Elon Musk-led Tesla is gearing up to unveil its highly anticipated robo-taxi product on August 8, as confirmed by the EV maker’s CEO in a recent social media post. The announcement comes at a crucial time for the company, as investors have been growing wary amidst a period of slowing demand.
Since Musk’s tweet, Tesla shares have surged over 3%, indicating strong investor interest in the upcoming robo-taxi project. While the exact commercial release date for the service has not been disclosed, the launch date is set for August 8.
Tesla’s foray into autonomous car technology has been a long time coming. In 2017, the company unveiled its fully electric heavy-duty truck, the Semi, but deliveries to customers only began in December 2022. The production and sales of the Semis are still limited to a select few.
Tesla’s advancements in autonomous driving technology have been a focal point for the company. At an event last year, Tesla showcased a fully covered vehicle as part of its third Master Plan, with Musk previously stating that Tesla cars would achieve “full autonomy” within three years.
While Tesla has yet to deliver a robotaxi or fully autonomous vehicle, the company offers advanced driver assistance systems like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) options. In comparison, Google-parent Alphabet’s Waymo already operates commercial driverless ride-hailing services in several US cities and is preparing to expand to Austin, Texas.
With competition heating up in the autonomous vehicle space, Tesla’s robo-taxi reveal on August 8 is sure to be a major milestone for the company as it looks to solidify its position in the market.