Tesla Inc. rolled out its long-awaited robotaxi service to a handful of users following almost a decade of hype from Elon Musk, kicking off a precarious new era for the carmaker.
Several of the online influencers who were hand-picked for early access streamed videos of their initial rides during the Sunday afternoon launch. One X user who goes by Bearded Tesla showed the empty driver seat during a trip in a red Model Y SUV that lasted just over 10 minutes.
“It was smooth,” one of the riders said on the video after getting out of the vehicle.
A vehicle Tesla is using for robotaxi testing in Austin on June 20.
The first trips are limited to a small portion of Tesla’s hometow…