Tesla To Reach Huge Robotaxi Milestone Just In Time, Elon Musk Says - CleanTechnica

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reiterated that the company will begin operating fully driverless robotaxis in Austin within about three weeks, removing human safety monitors from the vehicles entirely. This marks a significant milestone beyond the current phase where roughly 30 Tesla robotaxis operate in cities like Austin and San Francisco but still require human safety drivers to supervise and intervene when necessary. Musk stated at the xAI Hackathon that “unsupervised is pretty much solved,” signaling Tesla’s confidence in its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology to handle passenger transport without onboard human supervision. However, skepticism remains about whether Tesla is truly ready to deploy fully autonomous robotaxis at scale or if the initial rollout will be limited and closely monitored remotely, similar to other companies like Waymo and Zoox. Observers note Tesla’s history of cautious public demonstrations, such as with its Optimus humanoid robot, where remote operators have intervened behind the scenes. The year 2026 is seen as a critical juncture for Tesla’s