Tesla's Robotaxi fleet in Austin may finally be driving fully unsupervised
Data from a crowdsourced tracking app suggests Tesla's entire Robotaxi fleet in Austin is now operating without human safety monitors, just weeks before the Cybercab's planned launch.
Tesla appears to have finally allowed its full Robotaxi fleet in Austin to operate without a human safety monitor onboard, according to a report by The Verge. The development comes many months after Elon Musk claimed driverless operations had already begun and promised the entire fleet would drop safety drivers by the end of 2025.
Notably, this report doesn't originate from Musk or Tesla itself, which lends it more credibility. The information comes from a crowdsourced web app called Robotaxi Tracker. Its creator, Ethan McKanna, told The Verge that all 170 Tesla Robotaxi rides in Austin the app monitored over the past two weeks were unsupervised, involving 54 different vehicles. Social media posts have further corroborated the finding.
McKanna said he has also noticed a rise in unsupervised Robotaxi rides in other cities such as Dallas and Houston. This marks a significant shift from earlier this summer, when the unsupervised fleet actually appeared to be shrinking — as recently as last week, the app showed only 28 unsupervised vehicles across six markets combined.
Still, Tesla has previously engaged in some sleight of hand on this front. Earlier this year it was revealed that some rides that appeared unsupervised were actually being operated by remote human drivers.
Timed with Cybercab launch
The apparent increase comes just ahead of Tesla's planned launch of the Cybercab, which the company has told employees it aims to release sometime this month, with an initial rollout in Austin. Tesla has also announced a contest that will select a handful of Robotaxi riders to attend the launch event, though no public date has been set yet. The Cybercab is Tesla's purpose-built autonomous vehicle, lacking pedals or a steering wheel entirely, meaning it cannot have human supervision by design.
While the increase may mark an important milestone for Tesla, it remains a small figure compared to the broader industry. Waymo alone operates more than 300 driverless vehicles in Austin and roughly 4,000 across numerous other cities.
