• Tesla will introduce their long-awaited robotaxi on August 8.
  • The company has been working on a robotaxi for years and has previously promised to operate its own fleet.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed plans to introduce their robotaxi on August 8. Details are limited, but its introduction comes at an interesting time as Ford threw in the towel, while GM’s Cruise is still reeling from the fallout of a high-profile accident.

While Musk didn’t say much about the move, he has been promoting the idea of robotaxis for years. In fact, the outspoken executive noted that nearly eight years have passed since he wrote Master Plan, Part Deux.

More: $25k Tesla Model 2 Is Dead Claims Report, Musk Says They’re Lying

In it, Musk wrote that once “true self-driving is approved by regulators, it will mean that you will be able to summon your Tesla from pretty much anywhere. Once it picks you up, you will be able to sleep, read or do anything else enroute to your destination.” The executive also said one of the goals of the plan was to enable owners to make money from their vehicles when they’re not using it.

As he explained at the time, “You will … be able to add your car to the Tesla shared fleet just by tapping a button on the Tesla phone app and have it generate income for you while you’re at work or on vacation, significantly offsetting and at times potentially exceeding the monthly loan or lease cost.” Musk went on to say this would dramatically lower the “true cost of ownership to the point where almost anyone could own a Tesla” and “since most cars are only in use by their owner for 5% to 10% of the day, the fundamental economic utility of a true self-driving car is likely to be several times that of a car which is not.”

On top of that, Musk promised that Tesla would operate its own fleet of robotaxis in markets where demand exceeds supply. He said this would ensure “you can always hail a ride from us no matter where you are.”

Of course, that was nearly eight years ago and Musk doesn’t exactly have the best track record for delivering on promises. It’s also not clear when the robotaxi would be launched as we’re still waiting on the second-generation Roadster, which was shown way back in 2017.