Elon Musk went all-in to get robotaxis onto roads, sacrificing a widely anticipated cheaper car, gutting teams focused on other projects and downplaying Tesla Inc.’s sales slowdown.

So when Musk finally unveils autonomous taxi prototypes late Thursday, the chief executive officer will have a lot to prove. He’s promised nothing short of a new era for transportation, in which Teslas with empty driver seats zip around with paying passengers, making money for their owners while they’re asleep or at work.