According to "Business Insider", there is a new "ticket" that is highly sought after among Tesla fans, but it is difficult to obtain: the qualification to experience a self-driving taxi (Robataxi). At the end of June this year, Tesla launched its highly anticipated self-driving taxi pilot service in Austin, Texas. The pilot will be small at first, with about 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles participating. There are safety monitors in the front seats of the vehicles, and the service initially covers about 30 square miles of the city.
Stringer takes a test ride in Tesla Robotaxi
Although users in Austin can already experience the self-driving taxi service of Alphabet's Waymo through the Uber app, this has not stopped some lucky people who have qualified for the Tesla self-driving taxi experience from traveling thousands of miles just to experience Tesla's services first-hand.
"I was in Austin for about 48 hours and took probably seven test drives," John Stringer, a San Francisco Bay Area resident and founder of the Tesla Silicon Valley Owners Club, told Business Insider.
status symbol
Stringer said he got to experience Tesla's self-driving taxis on the first day they came online about a month ago. At that time, he took a test drive with other Tesla influencers who were qualified for the first-day experience. About a week later, Stringer said he also received an official invitation.
"I was completely speechless with excitement, not to the point of crying. But I have been following Tesla as a die-hard fan for seven years, and this is indeed an important moment." Stringer said about the experience.
On social media These posts are often accompanied by a screenshot of the email to prove their authenticity.
"We sincerely invite you to experience Tesla self-driving taxis in advance!" the subject line of the email reads.
Tesla Robotaxi
Although some Tesla fans who received the invitation deliberately avoided talking to reporters, Business Insider was able to successfully test drive a Tesla self-driving taxi through a local resident in Austin who invested in Tesla and obtained early access qualifications.
"Business Insider" previously reported that the overall test drive process was generally smooth, but there were three "breakaway takeovers" during the period, which required Tesla remote support personnel to intervene to deal with car problems.
Important moment for car owners and investors
On Friday night, hundreds of Tesla owners and fans gathered at the San Mateo County Convention Center, about 20 miles south of San Francisco, for a two-day event dedicated to "Tesla, electric vehicle and SpaceX enthusiasts." The event was organized by Stringer's club.
Rows of neatly parked Tesla cars and Cybertrucks made the originally empty parking lot of the convention center look almost like a Tesla dealership. The astronaut dummy "Starman" sent into space by SpaceX in 2018 floats above the car array and is very eye-catching.
Talking about the arrival of self-driving taxis, Stringer said: "If you have been a Tesla owner and investor, this is an important moment. It is like Amazon is no longer just a bookstore, but has entered a new stage of development. For Tesla, this means that it is no longer just a car company, but moving towards fully autonomous driving."
Starman inflatable dummy at the event
For Stringer and other Tesla fans who spoke to Business Insider, the arrival of self-driving taxis all but vindicates their belief that they were right to trust the company in the first place. Tesla was on the verge of bankruptcy and was, in their view, the target of negative media coverage.
"I feel like there's a huge bias in any coverage of Tesla in the mainstream media," said Rhajib Bhakat, a San Francisco engineer and Tesla investor. "For people who don't experience Tesla every day, they have no way of telling: Is he right? Are these just die-hard Tesla fans? How do you evaluate that?"
Bhagat added: "If I were an investor, I would certainly want to know where this industry is headed. Am I right to put my money here? So, for me, the only way to really understand is to experience it myself."