Tesla is planning to allow personally owned vehicles to join its robotaxi network as early as 2026, CEO Elon Musk revealed during the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call. The update marks a important step in Tesla’s robotaxi strategy, which began with a limited launch in Austin, Texas in June using only company-owned vehicles.
“I’d say confidently next year,” Musk said in response to a question about when Tesla owners could list their own vehicles on the platform. “I’m not sure when next year, but confidently next year.” While details remain vague, the move could pave the way for Tesla owners to earn income by remotely operating their cars as autonomous taxis, a promise made long ago by Musk.
The initial robotaxi fleet in Austin consists of as many as 20 Tesla Model Ys, with each vehicle currently running with a safety operator in the front passenger seat and oversight via remote assistants. Tesla reports the service has logged 7,000 autonomous miles (11,265 km) since its June debut, with no major safety incidents.
Initially, the service was invite-only, and only available in a limited area around Austin. However, Tesla has been expanding the group of eligible riders, as well as the geo-fenced operating zone within Austin and plans further extensions “in a couple of weeks,” according to Musk.
Tesla is aiming to scale quickly. Musk claims the company will launch in the San Francisco Bay Area next, followed by Nevada, Arizona, Florida, and other regions. However, all of these expansions are pending regulatory approvals, which could hinder the timelines.
“As soon as we get the approvals and we prove our safety, then we’ll be launching autonomous ride-hailing in most of the country,” Musk said. “I think we’ll probably have autonomous ride-hailing in probably half the population of the U.S. by the end of the year.”
Tesla VP of AI software Ashok Elluswamy noted the company is already testing in multiple cities and expects the Bay Area launch to mirror Waymo’s early efforts, with a safety operator in the front seat. He emphasized that having this safeguard in place will speed up deployment while approvals are pending.
Musk reiterated that the company’s purpose-built Cybercab—an autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals—is still on track for volume production in 2026.
