Overview
- Elon Musk confirmed on X that testing is underway with no occupants after a viral video showed an empty Model Y driving in Austin.
- The driverless trials involve a small fleet of roughly 25–31 vehicles, and rides for paying passengers still use human supervisors.
- Tesla’s Austin pilot has logged at least seven NHTSA-reported crashes since June, with heavily redacted filings that limit outside safety assessment.
- Texas law allows public-road autonomous testing today, with new state authorization rules taking effect in 2026, while California has not granted Tesla driverless testing permits.
- Tesla shares reached 2025 highs on the news as analysts touted expansion prospects, even as rival Waymo reports about 450,000 weekly paid driverless rides across multiple cities.