From Joe Tegtmeyer.

On 22 June 2025, Tesla officially unveiled their new Robotaxi ride hailing service. in downtown Austin, Texas! A group of early access people (me included) were offered the chance to experience the first drives and also bring along a passenger to share this world premier event!

This took place in a geofenced section of Austin on public roads and in a dynamic environment that included pedestrians, bicycles, other cars, construction and more! The cars use AI computer systems and cameras (vision only) to understand, react and work within a highly variable and dynamic environment. For this initial rollout, a safety observer from Tesla was in the passenger seat, but had no direct control of the vehicle, so this was truly a autonomous driving experience.

This is the start of what will one day be a world-side ride sharing system that will use Tesla vehicles autonomous driving and support infrastructure to allow millions of people access to safe, reliable and cost effective transportation, but this is just the beginning!

Come along with me on the first drive and experience what it was like and learn a lot about how the system works. Also, hear my first impressions of what was an amazing experience!

Congratulations to the Tesla AI and Tesla Robotaxi teams for a highly successful first day and grand unveiling!