Tesla Robotaxi "Accelerating": 6 Cities Launching Simultaneously — How Long Until "No Driver"?

Silicon Valley — Tesla's Robotaxi is accelerating.

March 4, Tesla announced plans to expand Robotaxi service to 6 new cities in H1 2026. Meanwhile, Bank of America upgraded Tesla's rating, calling it the "clear leader" in autonomous driving.

6 Cities Simultaneously Launching

Currently, Tesla's Robotaxi service operates in Austin and San Francisco Bay Area.

"We plan to expand to 6 new cities in H1," Tesla's official statement said. "Specific cities will be announced later."

But there's a problem: most Robotaxis still have safety drivers.

"Most Robotaxis in Austin still have safety drivers," Sherwood News reported. "Only a small portion achieved truly 'driverless.'"

Bank of America's "Endorsement"

Bank of America upgraded Tesla's rating to "Buy" in its latest report.

"Tesla's advances in autonomous driving and Robotaxi services could drive its next phase of growth," BofA analysts wrote in the report. "Tesla is the clear leader in autonomous driving."

Affected by this, Tesla stock rose over 5% that day.

How Far Until "True Driverless"?

Despite rapid progress, "true driverless" still takes time.

Technical challenges include: - Complex road condition recognition - Extreme weather response - Regulatory approval

"Safety comes first," a Tesla engineer once said. "We won't take risks."

Competitive Landscape

Tesla's competitors include:

Waymo (Google): Already has commercial service

Cruise (GM): Restarting

Baidu Apollo: Leading in China market

Waymo (Google): Already has commercial service

Cruise (GM): Restarting

Baidu Apollo: Leading in China market

"Tesla's advantage is data," an analyst said. "Hundreds of billions of miles of training data — competitors can't catch up in short term."

Business Model "Revolution"

Robotaxi is not just technology, but also a "revolution" in business model.

"Tesla is eradicating the traditional concept of vehicle ownership," BarChart analysts pointed out. "Through its aggressive Robotaxi vision, in the future you may not need to buy a car."

This means: - Private cars decrease - On-demand travel becomes mainstream - Car companies become mobility service providers

Epilogue

In Austin, I experienced a Tesla Robotaxi. Safety driver sat in driver's seat the entire time, but barely took over.

"Nervous," the safety driver told me. "But most of the time it's boring — AI drives better than me."

Perhaps this is the future: not drivers losing jobs, but becoming "safety drivers" — sitting in cars doing nothing.

Reference: CNBC, Sherwood News, BarChart