Tesla Robotaxis in Austin Appear Fully Driverless Ahead of Cybercab Launch

All 170 Tesla Robotaxi rides monitored in Austin over the past two weeks ran without a human safety monitor onboard, according to the crowdsourced Robotaxi Tracker, suggesting the service has finally gone fully driverless in the city Source: The Verge. The shift comes as Tesla prepares to launch the Cybercab, its purpose-built robotaxi without a steering wheel or pedals, in Austin as soon as this month Source: The Information via CNA.

The data

The tracker's creator, Ethan McKanna, told The Verge that the 170 rides involved 54 different cars, and that plates previously marked as supervised are now offering unsupervised rides Source: The Verge. McKanna also noted a sharp increase in unsupervised Teslas in Dallas and Houston, with roughly 30 operating over the past week Source: Engadget. However, some of the apparent jump reflects better data: McKanna, who interned with Tesla's Robotaxi team this summer, revised the tracker's sources after finding metrics had been lagging Source: The Next Web.

The caveats

"Unsupervised" means no onboard safety monitor, but remote operators may still intervene Source: The Next Web. A video from a passenger shows a Tesla driving through plastic bollards, raising questions about remote oversight Source: The Next Web. Tesla does not publish fleet data and did not respond to requests for comment Source: The Verge.

The bigger picture

Tesla's robotaxis have driven about 380,000 driverless miles, while Waymo has over 220 million, and Waymo operates more than 300 driverless vehicles in Austin alone Source: The Verge. The Cybercab launch will begin with employee rides, then fold into the Austin service Source: The Next Web. Tesla is mass-producing a vehicle it cannot yet legally sell, betting on software that remains under federal investigation Source: The Verge.