The cost to use Tesla's new Robotaxi service has increased to a number that may get a chuckle out of some of its users.
What's happening?
A few weeks after launching its driverless Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, Tesla has raised the price to catch a ride.
As Teslarati reported, the new price is $6.90, up from the original $4.20. Although it's a hike of more than 64%, the numbers sure seem to have significance, as CEO Elon Musk has previously attempted to use both numbers in suggestively funny ways.
The price increase came along with an increase in the Robotaxi service area, the shape of which also seems to be a suggestive joke. Musk seemingly confirmed as much in his X post announcing the price increase.
"The price is now a princely $6.90, as foretold in the prophecy," Musk wrote.
Why is this important?
In theory, any Robotaxi price hike could make potential riders less likely to use the service. This could push them away from riding in an electric vehicle and toward a more traditional taxi or rideshare service, which could be in a polluting, gas-powered vehicle.
Before the price hike, the first weeks of Tesla's new driverless venture hit a few speed bumps.
When dealing with sun glare, Robotaxis have been spotted suddenly slamming on their brakes. On some trips, the vehicles have attempted to drop off passengers in the middle of the road or drive on the wrong side of the street. And the cars have also been spotted bumping parked cars, forcing their human safety monitors to briefly take the wheel.
However, it will remain to be seen if this does actually impact ridership. The Robotaxi service area in Austin is now larger than that of driverless competitor Waymo, and as Not a Tesla App notes, the flat-rate fee for a Robotaxi ride can still be a fraction of similar trips using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft.
What can I do about this?
Whether it's using it as a taxi or as your everyday vehicle, switching away from a gas-powered car to an electric one is one of the biggest steps you can take to help protect our environment.
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Because they don't burn dirty energy each time they're driven and they produce no tailpipe emissions, EVs are considerably better for the planet than their gas-guzzling counterparts. Not only do they release less carbon pollution per mile over their lifetime, but EVs are also much more energy-efficient than other cars.
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