An X user has recorded a Tesla Model Y driving in Austin, Texas without a human monitor present. Since Tesla launched its robotaxi service in the city in June, vehicles have always included a human in the passenger seat.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to Sunday’s posy, confirming that the company is indeed testing driverless taxis without human safety operators, writing:
“Testing is underway with no occupants in the car.”
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s vice president of AI, also reacted to the sighting on X, saying:
“And so it begins!”
Musk has repeatedly and publicly insisted that Tesla is committed to launching unsupervised robotaxi operations in Austin before the end of 2025, making the claim at least three times in recent months.
According to ElectricVehicles.com the xAI Hackathon in early December, Musk said unsupervised autonomous driving was “pretty much solved at this point.”
“There will be Tesla Robotaxis operating in Austin with no one in them,” he said. “Not even anyone in the passenger seat in about three weeks.”
(Picture: Tesla)
