Overview

• Tesla released a video of a Model Y autonomously driving roughly 15 miles—covering parking lots, highways and city streets—from its Gigafactory Texas to a customer’s home, reaching up to 72 mph without any human or remote supervision.
• The demonstration ran on Tesla’s camera-based Full Self-Driving software with no onboard safety monitor, extending beyond its geofenced, supervised robotaxi pilot launched June 22.
• The NHTSA and Texas lawmakers have opened inquiries into Tesla’s FSD after early safety lapses were reported in the Austin robotaxi service.
• Analysts and competitors dispute Musk’s claim of a “first fully autonomous public-highway drive,” noting Waymo has already conducted driverless highway operations for employees.
• Some experts caution the polished 30-minute run may have been mapped and tested under ideal conditions rather than proving consistent, real-world reliability.