Overview
- Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin now runs until 11 p.m., one hour later than the prior 10 p.m. cutoff, a change the company announced on Saturday.
- Elon Musk said the company’s main obstacle to later-night operation is reliably spotting pets in low light, using the example of “grey kittens on grey tarmac.”
- Cameras are passive and need light and contrast, which can make small, dark animals hard to see, while lidar and radar actively probe distance and shape and perform better in darkness.
- The timing comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing about 3.2 million Teslas over low-visibility FSD crashes and has sought internal materials such as a document titled “Radar Saves Us.”
- Tesla’s limited, slowly expanding Robotaxi fleet — now including Cybercabs — contrasts with rivals like Waymo that use lidar and radar to run vehicles 24 hours a day, a gap that could push debate over sensor choices and safety rules.