Tesla unveils plans to launch autonomous taxi service in 2020

Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi service as soon as 2020, CEO Elon Musk said during Autonomy Day, the company’s investor day focused on autonomous driving.

“We expect to have the Robotaxis operating next year – with no-one in them,” Musk predicted.

The news comes as part of the firm’s broader vision for a wider autonomous ride-sharing network.

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Under the proposed vision, owners of Tesla vehicles would be able to add their car to a Tesla ride-sharing app, in a similar model to Uber or Airbnb.

Tesla will take 25-30% of the revenue from those rides and in regions where there aren’t a large pool of vehicles available, Tesla will supply its own.

During his presentation, Musk forecasted that the network will have as many as a million cars in the next year and a half.

Musk also highlighted how regulatory approval will dictate where and when the robotaxi service is rolled out.

During Autonomy Day, Tesla also revealed its latest self-driving chip which Musk described as ‘the best chip in the world’.

“At first it seems improbable -- how could it be that Tesla, who has never designed a chip before -- would design the best chip in the world?” Musk said.

“But that is objectively what has occurred. Not best by a small margin, best by a huge margin. It’s in the cars right now.”