Last Sunday (December 14), an X user photographed a Tesla. Footage of a Model Y driving on the streets of Austin shows the car seemingly empty, without even a safety supervisor present.
Since Tesla launched its self-driving car in Austin this June... Since the introduction of the Robotaxi service, a safety supervisor has always sat in the front passenger seat.
The video sparked great excitement among Tesla enthusiasts online, with some even immediately ordering rides on their apps to verify whether the vehicle was still equipped with a safety driver (which turned out to be true).
Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded later Sunday, saying the company is currently testing driverless taxis without human safety drivers , although it does not appear to be open to paying passengers yet.
“Testing is underway, and there is no one in the car,” Musk wrote in response to the X user who posted the original video.
Tesla responded to the video with the phrase "Just saying".
Tesla AI Business head Ashok Elluswamy also responded. He posted on X: "Let's get started!"
According to data from Robotaxi Tracker, run by Austin-based autonomous driving industry observer Ethan McKenna, Tesla currently has 31 active Robotaxi vehicles in Austin, up from 29 in November.
In an October podcast, Musk revealed that Tesla aims to expand its fleet of driverless taxis in Austin to 500 vehicles by the end of the year.
However, this target was soon revised downwards. Musk stated at the end of November that the number of Tesla Robotaxis in Austin would double in December.
Musk revealed at an event last week that Tesla Robotaxi will eliminate safety drivers within three weeks, achieving truly driverless passenger transport.
(Article source: CLS)
