Musk: "Millions" of autonomous Teslas in 2026
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Elon Musk expects that millions of Teslas will be driving autonomously by the latter half of 2026.
- In the meantime, the company aims to launch a modest robotaxi pilot with just a handful of cars in Austin, Texas, starting in June.
Why it matters: Tesla no longer sees itself as an electric vehicle company, but rather an AI-driven robotics company focused on large-scale production of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.
Yes, but: The Tesla CEO has been predicting a million robotaxis on the road since 2019.
- While Tesla's been talking about it, Waymo already has a robotaxi service that provides more than 200,000 rides per week in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. In 2024, it racked up more than 4 million paid passenger trips.
Driving the news: During a call Tuesday to review Tesla's disappointing first-quarter financial results, Musk encouraged investors "to look beyond the bumps and potholes of the road immediately ahead of us," and instead focus on the future.
- "The team and I are laser-focused on bringing robotaxi to Austin in June," he said, with more cities to be added later this year.
- The plan is to launch the service in Austin with 10 or 20 Model Ys, not with the much-ballyhooed Cybercab that Tesla unveiled last October.
- Tesla is piloting a new, more automated manufacturing process for Cybercab, with large-scale production expected next year.
The intrigue: Musk acknowledged during the call that his government-slashing work in the Trump administration has sparked a "blowback" against Tesla and that he would spend less time with DOGE, and more time with Tesla starting in May.
