In 2025, Tesla’s Robotaxi (self-driving taxi) plan is set to become a reality. At the investor meeting in January 2025, Elon Musk announced that Tesla plans to launch an unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature in Texas by June and is preparing to officially introduce its Robotaxi service in California. The ultimate goal of this service is to allow passengers to summon autonomous taxis at any time, achieving true commercialized driverless operations. Tesla has submitted an application to the California Public Utilities Commission and is expected to offer free trial rides to the public once additional approvals are obtained.

This progress has been facilitated by the gradual refinement of regulatory frameworks. The foundation of U.S. autonomous driving policies dates back to 2013, when the country released its first Autonomous Vehicle Policy, establishing the L0-L5 autonomous driving classification system. In 2016, the U.S. government issued its first federal policy document on autonomous vehicles, promoting the testing of self-driving technology with a strong focus on safety. In December 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced the Autonomous Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV-STEP draft), which clarified the regulatory framework for Robotaxi operations. This program provides guidelines on corporate responsibilities, product supervision, and passenger operations, paving the way for Tesla and other autonomous driving companies to commercialize their services.

Musk’s vision for Robotaxi dates back to 2016 when he claimed the technology would be available within two years. In April 2019, during Tesla’s Autonomy Day, he further predicted that Tesla would deploy self-driving taxis by 2020 and cease producing vehicles with steering wheels or pedals by 2022. While these milestones were not met as scheduled, Tesla has continuously advanced its autonomous driving technology.

In April 2024, Tesla officially named its Robotaxi "Cybercab", and on October 11 of the same year, it hosted the “We, Robot” demonstration event at Warner Bros. Discovery Studios in Los Angeles, showcasing the Cybercab autonomous taxi powered by the FSD system. Musk stated that the Cybercab’s production cost is expected to be under $30,000, with production planned for 2026 and mass production targeted for 2027.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s self-driving software is rapidly evolving. On December 2, 2024, Tesla launched FSD V13, marking a significant breakthrough in its "photon counting" project. According to Tesla AI team member Yun-Ta Tsai, FSD V13’s optimized end-to-end neural network enables fully autonomous driving from parking spot to parking spot.

With the dual forces of technological breakthroughs and regulatory improvements, Tesla’s Robotaxi is accelerating from vision to reality. In the coming years, as Cybercab enters mass production and FSD technology matures, autonomous taxis may completely transform urban mobility, ushering in a new era of commercialized self-driving transportation.