Tesla plans to expand its robotaxi service to “a dozen or more states” by the end of the year, CEO Elon Musk told investors during the company’s first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, April 22.
In response to a question about when Tesla’s robotaxi service would expand beyond its current locations in Texas and California, Musk told investors, “We’re taking a very cautious approach to the rollout here.” “To date we have had no injuries and certainly no deaths from unsupervised FSD and robotaxi expansion. We want to keep it that way.”
Musk said: “I think maybe unsupervised FSD or robotaxi revenue won’t be super material this year. But I think it will be material next year – probably in a significant way.”
The comments come after Tesla announced in an X post that it is expanding its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston ahead of its first-quarter earnings call.
How does Tesla’s robotaxi work?
Tesla says rides in its robotaxis can be ordered using a cell phone app, similar to how riders use Uber and Lyft to find rides.
“We’re bringing autonomous rides to you today – starting with the Model Y,” Tesla said in a post on its website. “To get started, download the Robotaxi app.”
Riders must create an account, and the Robotaxi app is currently only available on Apple iOS devices.
Musk told investors on the company’s January earnings call that robotaxi would be a big part of Tesla’s “overall shift to an autonomous future.”
Musk said on January 28, “Except for the next-generation Roadster, the only vehicles we will make will be autonomous vehicles.”
Where does Tesla’s robotaxi operate?
Tesla currently operates its robotaxis using the Model Y in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and limited areas of California.
The company has previously told investors it plans to expand service to cities including Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Las Vegas.
Musk told investors on an April earnings call that the robotaxi service is being expanded using the same software currently deployed in Austin and San Francisco.
“The limiting factor for expansion is really rigorous verification,” Musk said. “Making sure things are completely safe. We don’t want a single accident or injury with the expansion of robotaxi, and to the team’s credit – we haven’t had a single accident or injury to date.”