Tesla Robotaxi Now Runs Around the Clock in Every City It Serves
Robotaxi now runs 24/7 Every city we're available in
Context
Round the clock service, including at night, is a step toward a driverless taxi network that works like a real utility.
Robotaxi is Tesla's ride hailing service that uses its self driving software. Earlier on Nov 11, Tesla said its self driving system was approved in Finland. Elon Musk quoted the Robotaxi post.
Deep dive
The official Robotaxi account posted that Robotaxi now runs 24/7 in every city where the service is available, with an attached video. The post was published late on Nov 11 Eastern time.
Elon Musk quoted the announcement with a short comment saying that Robotaxi works 168 hours a week, the number of hours in a full week. By the time of this scan, his quote post had drawn more views than the original.
The post does not list which cities are covered, how many vehicles are in service, or whether safety monitors are still present in the cars. It also does not say whether overnight service carries any limits on pickup areas or ride types.
Running through the night matters for a ride hailing network because late hours are when many people lack other transport options, and because a vehicle that does not need a driver can in principle work far more hours than a human driver. The announcement came on the same day Tesla said its self driving system was approved in Finland.
What to expect next
Look for Tesla to share ride numbers, fleet size and safety data for the round the clock service, and for any expansion to new cities. Regulators in places where Robotaxi operates may also comment on overnight driverless rides. Comparisons with other driverless taxi operators on hours, coverage and safety are likely to follow, and the round the clock claim will be easy for riders to test city by city in the coming days.