A ride-hailing service based on Tesla’s fully self-driving (FSD) technology is getting closer to reality. The service, which uses FSD (supervised) technology, is now available to early Tesla employees in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. However, there are a number of regulations and limitations that need to be overcome before the service can be opened to the public. While the dream of summoning a self-driving Tesla via a smartphone app is getting closer, it’s still in the experimental stage.
Tesla’s FSD software, while promising fully autonomous driving capabilities, is still in the “beta” stage. This means that the technology is not yet complete and users will have to accept its limitations before using it. Currently, the ride-hailing service, which is limited to Tesla employees, connects FSD-equipped vehicles with passengers and displays trip information on the rear-seat display. But, as the word “supervised” suggests, a human driver will be in the vehicle, but they are not controlling the driving.
This project is different from a fully autonomous taxi service. While other companies, such as Waymo, operate robotaxis without human drivers and with remote monitoring, Tesla’s service still relies on human supervision. Tesla has yet to seek regulatory approval for a driverless taxi service for the public. This, given the technical limitations and regulatory requirements of the FSD, means it will be some time before Tesla’s robotaxi service is available to the public.
Tesla’s announcement comes on the heels of a disastrous earnings report that sent the company’s stock price down 71 percent. Critics point out that Elon Musk’s ambitious announcements, from humanoid robots to AI to robotaxis, are often aimed at creating a buzz in the market. But some argue that the announcement is an attempt to appease Tesla loyalists and that the technology hasn’t made much progress.
Tesla, however, sees it as a developmental step. “This service helps us develop and validate FSD networks, mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control, and remote assistance functions,” Tesla’s Instagram post explains. These elements are critical to the successful deployment of a robotaxi service in the future.
Tesla’s FSD-based ride-hailing service is a step toward the future of autonomous driving. However, there are technical and regulatory challenges to overcome. While the day is approaching when the public will be able to hail a driverless Tesla taxi with a smartphone, that journey is not yet complete.