Tesla’s ambitious push into driverless ride-hailing suffered a quiet setback this week. The electric-car maker stripped specific launch dates from its plans for robotaxi service in five U.S. cities, swapping firm commitments for vague assurances of progress. Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas—once pegged for the first half of 2026—now sit under a banner of “preparations underway.” No explanation. No updated timeline. Just silence from a company that didn’t respond to inquiries. This shift appeared in Tesla’s Q1 earnings report, released April 22, 2026. It echoes a pattern. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, has long painted vivid pictures of autonomous fleets dominating streets, only for reality to lag. Remember his July 2025 vow that robotaxis would serve half of America by year’s end? Or the April 2025 pledge for material revenue by mid-2026? Those dates passed without fanfare. But. Musk struck a newly measured tone during the earnings call.…