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Elon Musk reports that Tesla will unveil a robotaxi this summer, news that comes as acceptance of self-driving vehicles hits a snag over safety concerns.
The billionaire and head of the electric car maker did not provide details, only saying in his post on X that "Tesla's robot taxi unveiling" will take place on August 8.
Tesla shares rose more than 3% in after-hours trading after the post, after ending the day lower.
Musk has long boasted about the results of the work Tesla is doing on its self-driving electric car systems.
Tesla's FSD (Full Self-Driving) models "will be so superhuman that in the future it will seem strange that people drove cars even when they were exhausted and drunk!" he said in a post on X in March.
Musk also said that owners of Tesla cars with FSD will be able to have their cars serve as robotaxis rather than sitting idly parked.
Despite its potential, the introduction of self-driving cars in the U.S. has so far been uncertain and slow, as both regulators and the public have raised safety concerns.
San Francisco is a testing ground for this technology.
Google's Waymo robot taxis in the city have come under fire from anti-autonomous vandals, and GM-owned Cruise suspended its robo taxi service indefinitely in late October after several accidents sparked pressure from California regulators.
Tesla's Autopilot feature has also come under scrutiny, with accusations that the feature's marketing overstated its actual capabilities. /BGNES
