Mr. Musk says the driverless taxis could begin ferrying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, where other companies already have similar cars on the road.

The other big aspect that Musk wants to incorporate -- the Airbnb aspect -- is enabling Tesla owners to essentially rent out their vehicles to the fleet. Late last year, Gary Black, the renowned managing partner of The Future Fund, tweeted that Tesla owners could potentially earn $40,000 per year by renting out their Teslas to the robotaxi fleet.

Elon Musk is facing mounting challenges after stepping away from his role as an advisor to Donald Trump in order to refocus on his struggling electric vehicle company, Tesla. This shift comes at a critical time,