Tesla Robotaxi App Downloads Open in Multiple Overseas Locations, Deployment First

The Tesla Robotaxi ride-hailing app has been launched and pushed in dozens of countries and regions outside the United States, covering app stores in Europe and many Asian nations. It supports Simplified Chinese, allowing users to directly download and register, but it is necessary to distinguish between the software launch and the vehicle's actual on-site operation as two completely different stages. This matter also reveals the unique rhythm of Tesla's unmanned taxi going global.

According to information from overseas tech media, markets such as the UK, Germany, Singapore, Australia, and Norway have all launched this Robotaxi app, with cumulative downloads exceeding 100,000 times. The software integrates a full set of functions including ride-hailing, trip monitoring, and in-car voice control. After logging into a Tesla account, users can view the service area map. However, even if overseas users successfully install the app, they still cannot call unmanned vehicles locally. The service map only displays the 7 operational cities such as Austin and Miami in the US. At this stage, the primary purpose of launching the app overseas is to facilitate multinational tourists traveling to the US to use Robotaxi services directly. It belongs to global pre-preparation, rather than directly deploying Cybercab fleets in overseas cities.

Tesla Robotaxi's current actual operational scope remains limited to the US mainland. Austin is the only city where Cybercab steering-wheel-free models can be called. The local fleet deployed 45 Cybercabs, paired with 375 modified Model Ys. The remaining six cities use modified Model Ys, with some areas supporting operation without safety drivers. In overseas markets, Tesla has only completed multi-country approvals for the FSD Supervised Version. European countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, and Belgium have already authorized the Supervised Version FSD. Overseas car owners have cumulatively driven over 50 million kilometers using this system, accumulating road data for the subsequent landing of Robotaxi.

Regulatory regulations are the biggest hurdle obstructing Robotaxi's actual overseas operations. European countries have independent and strict approvals for unmanned autonomous driving inside vehicles. Each city needs to apply for road rights separately, unlike the US Texas which has relatively relaxed local regulations. In comparison, pushing the application first and completing localization adaptation, multi-language debugging, and account system connection in advance are low-cost warming-up measures. Once regulations in one place are approved, Tesla can quickly activate local travel services.

This "launch app first, then deploy fleet" strategy is completely different from the route taken by other Robotaxi companies domestically and overseas that directly deploy vehicles in pilot cities. Software first can cultivate user usage habits in advance, collect account information, and simultaneously test the stability of cross-border server scheduling. However, large-scale app promotion does not mean unmanned taxis will immediately run on overseas streets. Regulatory permits, insurance rules, and road scenario adaptation, each item requires a long cycle. The globalization curtain of Tesla Robotaxi has been raised, but true overseas actual commercial operations still need to wait for autonomous driving regulations in various countries to complete supporting measures.