Tesla says it has been testing driverless Model Ys in Austin for 'several days'

Tesla's robotaxi service has started testing in Austin without drivers in advance of its promised June launch, according to the company. "For the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no on in driver's seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents," CEO Elon Musk posted on X. "A month ahead of schedule." Earlier this year, Tesla promised to launch its robotaxi service sometime in June, using an internal fleet of 10 to 20 Model Ys operating in a limited, geo-fenced part of Austin with remote human assistance. The level of human assistance (teleoperation) isn't clear, but there are fears based on Tesla's recent history that human operators may be used to cover up any technical deficiencies in Tesla's self-driving vehicles. A recent Bloomberg report was more specific about the launch date with paid customers, putting it at June 12. However, reports earlier this month indicated that Tesla had yet to even start testing without drivers as of mid-May, so it ... Read full article.