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Title: Tesla says it has been testing driverless Model Ys in Austin for
'several days'

Date: Thu, 29 May 2025 12:30:37 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/t...

Tesla's robotaxi service has started testing in Austin without drivers in
advance of its promised June launch, according to the company. "For the past
several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no on in
driver's seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents," CEO Elon Musk
posted on X. "A month ahead of schedule."

Earlier this year, Tesla promised to launch its robotaxi service sometime in
June, using an internal fleet of 10 to 20 Model Ys operating in a limited,
geo-fenced part of Austin with remote human assistance. The level of human
assistance (teleoperation) isn't clear, but there are fears based on Tesla's
recent history that human operators may be used to cover up any technical
deficiencies in Tesla's self-driving vehicles.

A recent Bloomberg report was more specific about the launch date with paid
customers, putting it at June 12. However, reports earlier this month
indicated that Tesla had yet to even start testing without drivers as of mid-
May, so it would only have a few weeks of testing before a commercial launch.

On top of that, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is
still in the dark about many details around the service. "The agency would
like to gather additional information about Tesla's development of
technologies for use in 'robotaxi' vehicles to understand how Tesla plans to
evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for use on public
roads," the NHTSA wrote in a May 8 letter to Tesla.

That information is key for public safety, because Tesla will only be using
camera-based systems and not LiDAR and radar sensors like Waymo and other
robotaxi operators. In a recent analyst call, Elon Musk said that the Model Y
robotaxi vehicles would be the same as Model Y vehicles sold to the public.
"There's no change to it," Musk said (before being contradicted by Tesla's
Autopilot software director).

No other details were released, but the upcoming service is certainly of
critical importance to the automaker given flagging Tesla EV sales,
particularly in Europe. CEO Elon Musk famously staked the future of Tesla on
robotaxis, reportedly even canceling a budget EV to focus on that service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/t...
driverless-model-ys-in-austin-for-several-days-123037251.html?src=rss

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