Tesla targets 2027 launch for owners’ cars in robotaxi fleet

Tesla says owners should be able to add their vehicles to its robotaxi fleet from the second quarter of 2027, giving a date to a long-standing promise. The plan matters because Tesla has yet to deliver unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and running driverless rides also requires regulatory approval and suitable insurance.

Tesla executive Ashok Elluswamy said customer Model Ys need the same software as Cybercabs, plus fleet management and geofencing. The company has a few hundred robotaxis in Texas and Florida, some with safety monitors, and several dozen driverless Cybercabs in Austin; it says it has driven 3.3 million autonomous miles. More than 75 per cent of new North American buyers chose supervised Full Self-Driving this quarter, up nearly 20 percentage points from the previous quarter, but older vehicles may lack the required hardware.