What to expect when (or if) Elon Musk launches a Tesla robotaxi service

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising self-driving cars for a decade, and the moment of truth may finally be here

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising self-driving cars for a decade, and the moment of truth may finally be here.

Musk, who’s mostly back in the private sector after his chain saw-wielding turn in the Trump administration, has said that Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Though he said the exact day could still shift, Tesla appears to be getting close to making an attempt, with videos spreading online of road tests where no human is in the driver’s seat.

But Tesla is also starting from behind. Waymo, a spinoff of Google, is already running a robotaxi service in several cities including Austin, and the service has a growing following.

Safety remains a key question. Musk has rejected the idea of using radar and lidar sensors on Tesla vehicles, instead relying on cameras in a departure from some rivals. He has said the Tesla robotaxis are using a “new version of software” that’s relatively untested.

Federal regulators have been raising concerns about Tesla’s driver-assistance software for more than a year, saying it contributed to hundreds of avoidable crashes, including some fatal crashes.