Tesla 's long-overdue robotaxi is finally hitting the streets this weekend, but the rollout may face some roadblocks.
The Elon Musk-led electric vehicle company is expected to roll out robotaxis in Austin, Texas, on June 22, with the first driverless trip from the factory to a customer house expected on his birthday, June 28.
Musk shared news of the tentative debut in a post to social media platform X last week.
Here's what we know about the Tesla event so far.
When and where
The launch will include a limited number of Tesla vehicles debuting in Austin on June 22. The initial rides will be in the Model Y and not the CyberCab that was unveiled in October.
Access to the vehicles and rides is by invitation only. Some influencers on social media have reported receiving early access invites to test out the new service starting Sunday.
The rides will also occur in a geofenced area of the city.
Can Musk deliver on promises?
Musk has long touted a driverless robotaxi, and the pressure is on the billionaire to deliver on his promises. As early as 2019, Musk said he was "very confident" that robotaxis would launch in 2020.
In May, Musk confirmed plans to debut the service in Austin this month, with launches later set for Los Angeles and San Francisco. At the time, Musk said the service would launch with 10 vehicles circulating Austin.
"It's prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well and then scale it up," he told CNBC's David Faber.
Wall Street analysts such as Wedbush's Dan Ives believe robotaxis will usher in the "golden era of autonomous for Tesla" that could power its market capitalization to more than $2 trillion by the end of next year.
That's about double its market value from Wednesday's close.
"There will be many setbacks ... but given its unmatched scale and scope globally we believe Tesla has the opportunity to own the autonomous market and down the road license its technology to other auto players both in the U.S. and around the globe," he wrote in a note.