Tesla has reached a significant milestone on the journey towards autonomous driving, with multiple Tesla Model Y vehicles spotted driving themselves on public roads in Austin, Texas. These vehicles were seen operating without anyone in the front seats and without a safety driver on board, marking a public test of “Unsupervised” Full Self-Driving (FSD) by Tesla and Elon Musk.
The first footage of an empty Model Y robotaxi navigating the streets of Austin was shared online by a user known as @Mandablorian. This video quickly gained attention, leading to the confirmation that more than one vehicle was involved in the autonomous testing. A second Model Y robotaxi, distinguished by a different license plate, was also observed operating autonomously in the South Congress area of southeast Austin.
Tesla’s AI chief, Ashok Elluswamy, responded to the development with excitement, stating, “And so it begins!” The official Tesla account further fueled anticipation by announcing, “The fleet will wake up via over-the-air software update.” Elon Musk later confirmed the speculation, revealing that testing was indeed underway with no occupants in the vehicles.
This significant progress in autonomous driving did not come as a surprise, as Musk had recently stated that Tesla had “pretty much solved” unsupervised Full Self-Driving. He had also mentioned plans to introduce robotaxis in Austin without safety monitors or occupants in the front seats within three weeks. The recent sightings indicate that Tesla has already commenced the initial phase of this rollout.
Throughout the year, Musk has consistently accelerated the timeline for autonomous driving. At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, he declared that the company was only “a few months away” from unsupervised FSD. In September, Musk had promised that Tesla’s Austin robotaxi pilot would transition to having no one in the vehicle except riders by the end of the year. The current testing without safety drivers aligns with this timeline, showcasing Tesla’s rapid progress in autonomous technology.
Tesla’s aggressive pace is mirrored in its software updates, with the company continuously enhancing FSD capabilities. Musk has highlighted that Tesla’s robotaxis run on advanced FSD builds, indicating that features tested in these vehicles may eventually be integrated into consumer vehicles. The latest FSD version 14.2.1 enables drivers to text while driving under suitable road and traffic conditions, underscoring Tesla’s confidence in the system’s capabilities. Moreover, Musk has teased the upcoming FSD 14.3 update as the “last big piece” required for fully autonomous driving.
With unsupervised robotaxis now operating in Austin, Tesla’s vision of an autonomous future appears closer than ever before. The company’s relentless pursuit of innovation and commitment to advancing autonomous technology signal a transformative shift in the automotive industry.