Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with no human safety driver

Core Insights - Tesla has initiated robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver, marking a significant step in its autonomous vehicle strategy [1] - CEO Elon Musk announced this development on social media, celebrating the Tesla AI team's efforts and inviting engineers to join the team [1] - The robotaxi service in Austin began with limited deployment last June, initially requiring a safety operator, and transitioned to testing without a driver in December [2] Deployment Details - The current fleet in Austin will not be entirely driverless; a mix of supervised and unsupervised vehicles will operate, with plans to increase the ratio of unsupervised vehicles over time [3] - It remains unclear whether Tesla is charging for these rides, as competitors like Zoox and Waymo did not charge for their initial driverless rides [3]