Elon Musk has announced that starting next month, Tesla will launch a limited rollout of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas—provided the vehicles remain within designated safe zones. Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Musk indicated that Tesla is now taking a more cautious and phased approach, moving away from his earlier vision of instant full autonomy for all vehicles.
About ten Model Y SUVs will be equipped with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software for this pilot program. The current iteration of the software emphasizes driver engagement, requiring hands to remain on the steering wheel. Although there won’t be human safety operators inside the vehicles, Tesla employees will remotely monitor and supervise their operation.
“The deployment will be closely monitored and discussed in my meetings,” Musk stated, adding, “It would be foolish not to care about where you work.” His comments reflect a broader shift in Tesla’s messaging, aligning more closely with industry norms.
Tesla’s use of geofencing—restricting the robotaxi to mapped and verified areas—marks a significant departure from Musk’s earlier claim that Tesla vehicles would soon drive autonomously anywhere. Instead, this strategy echoes the practices of competitors like Waymo, which also monitor their autonomous vehicles remotely without directly controlling them, offering guidance only when needed.
Musk explained that the system will only attempt complex maneuvers, such as navigating difficult intersections, when the software is highly confident in its decision-making. Routes will automatically adjust to ensure passenger safety. This shift is consistent with Musk’s remarks during Tesla’s Q1 earnings call, where he noted that early robotaxi deployments would require “parameters tailored for specific areas.”
Tesla also plans to expand testing to California and other states after the initial launch in Austin. “Let’s start small, confirm everything works as expected, and then scale up as we see strong performance,” Musk said.
With this measured rollout, Tesla is signaling a commitment to the safety-first philosophy already adopted by other players in the autonomous vehicle space.
