Tesla Begins Removing Safety Drivers from Austin Robotaxi Fleet

Tesla has confirmed the removal of safety drivers from a select number of its robotaxi vehicles operating in Austin, Texas. During a speech at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, CEO Elon Musk indicated that while most vehicles in this limited fleet still have human oversight, the number of driverless operations is expected to grow. This initiative follows Musk’s announcement last month regarding ongoing testing without human intervention.

The move to eliminate safety drivers marks another significant milestone in Tesla’s pilot service in Austin. The company has already expanded the geofenced areas where its robotaxis operate and increased the overall size of the fleet, which currently consists of 34 vehicles. In contrast, Waymo operates a fleet of over 100 vehicles in the same city, highlighting the competitive landscape of autonomous vehicle services.

Concerns about safety have emerged regarding Tesla’s Austin service. According to reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the company has recorded eight crashes over a six-month period. This equates to an incident approximately every 40,000 miles, significantly higher than the national average for human drivers, who average a crash every 500,000 miles. Additionally, Tesla’s crash reports often redact crucial information, limiting the ability to assess fault or the circumstances of these incidents.

Despite the challenges in Austin, Tesla continues to operate a “chauffeur” service in California’s Bay Area, which employs human drivers using driver-assist technology. Although Musk had previously pledged to introduce a robotaxi service in California, the company has not yet sought permission to test fully autonomous vehicles in the state.

Musk has ambitious plans, projecting that Tesla will provide robotaxi coverage to half of the U.S. population by the end of 2025. However, this timeline remains uncertain. Last year, California regulators determined that Tesla had engaged in misleading marketing regarding its driverless capabilities, leading to significant scrutiny. In China, the automaker was compelled to rebrand its Full Self-Driving technology as “Intelligent Assisted Driving” to comply with new regulations aimed at preventing companies from overstating their autonomous technology.

Tesla’s progress in the autonomous vehicle sector lags behind competitors like Waymo, which began offering autonomous rides in Phoenix in late 2018 and has since expanded its services to Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami. Waymo’s fleet has now grown to exceed 2,000 vehicles, with plans to launch its first international service in London by 2026.

As Tesla pushes forward with its autonomous initiatives, the automotive industry watches closely, balancing innovation with the pressing need for safety and regulatory compliance.