Tesla Robotaxis Operate Independently on Austin Streets, Fleet Grows to 31 Vehicles, Elon Musk Promises 500 by Year-End

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 15/12/2025 at 10:28

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Occupantless Testing Marks New Phase Of Tesla’s Robotaxis In Austin, Where The Fleet Totals 31 Vehicles, Records Four Accidents Since September, And Advances As Elon Musk Envisions Expansion To Other Cities

Tesla has begun testing robotaxis without human safety monitors in Austin, according to Elon Musk, after a video showed a Model Y driving empty; the initiative, still limited to testing, signals technical advancement, broadens safety debates, and occurs with a local fleet of 31 vehicles.

The confirmation was made by Elon Musk himself on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a video posted on Sunday showing a Tesla Model Y driving through the streets of Austin without occupants inside the vehicle.

According to Business Insider, the operation without human monitors is only for testing purposes and is not yet available to paying customers, keeping the service restricted to controlled internal evaluations by the company.

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Since the launch of the robotaxi service in Austin in June, all vehicles operated with a human safety monitor in the passenger seat, prepared to take manual control whenever necessary.

This recent sighting, although discreet, represents a significant advancement in the timeline advocated by Musk, who has reiterated the gradual removal of human monitors since September, repeating the promise also in October and November.

Ashok Elluswamy, head of artificial intelligence at Tesla, reinforced the start of this new phase by writing “And so it begins!” on his personal account on Sunday, officially signaling the operational transition.

Function Of The Human Monitor And Technical Limitations

The human safety monitor is responsible for overseeing the autonomous driving system and intervening manually when the vehicle encounters situations that it cannot manage safely on its own.

A report on tests conducted in July indicated that the Tesla robotaxi required numerous human interventions, especially when incorrectly entering a one-way street, highlighting significant operational failures.

Although the migration to fully unsupervised operations represents a technological milestone, the move occurs amid persistent doubts related to the safety of the system in complex urban environments.

Public accident data, which Tesla discloses in a limited manner, indicated that robotaxis in Austin were involved in collisions at a significantly higher rate per kilometer traveled compared to competitors like Waymo.

A recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, revealed that Tesla’s robotaxis have been involved in four accidents since September of this year.

The website Electrek detailed the most updated data, including a recent incident in which a robotaxi collided with a fixed object while operating in a parking lot, raising questions about reliability.

Fleet Expansion And Declared Goals

According to Ethan McKenna, head of the independent project “Robotaxi Tracker” in Austin, Tesla’s active fleet in the city currently comprises 31 vehicles, a number higher than the 29 registered in November.

This total is still far from the goal announced by Musk in October during an interview on the “All-In” podcast, when he stated that Tesla aimed to reach 500 robotaxis operating in Austin by the end of the year.

The autonomous taxi sector is experiencing a recovery period after previous failures, driven by companies like Tesla, Alphabet’s Waymo, and Amazon’s Zoox, which are accelerating expansion plans.

Currently, Tesla’s service operates in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, positioning the company as a direct competitor in an increasingly contested market.

Meanwhile, Waymo has reached 450,000 paid rides per week, a milestone cited in a letter to investors from Tiger Global, solidifying its commercial leadership in the autonomous mobility segment.

Finally, Musk stated that Tesla plans to start robotaxi operations in “5 major cities” in 2026, broadening the geographical scope of the service and intensifying the race for scale in autonomous urban transportation.

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Tesla Robotaxis Operate Independently on Austin Streets, Fleet Grows to 31 Vehicles, Elon Musk Promises 500 by Year-End

Occupantless Testing Marks New Phase Of Tesla’s Robotaxis In Austin, Where The Fleet Totals 31 Vehicles, Records Four Accidents Since September, And Advances As Elon Musk Envisions Expansion To Other Cities

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Function Of The Human Monitor And Technical Limitations

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Tesla Robotaxis Operate Independently on Austin Streets, Fleet Grows to 31 Vehicles, Elon Musk Promises 500 by Year-End

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