Tesla is taking its Robotaxi ambitions to the streets literally. The company has begun testing its unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) software on public roads with no one inside the vehicle. The first batch of truly driverless rides is happening in Austin using Model Y units Tesla owns, but soon, eligible private owners will join the fleet.
Model Y drives solo in public without safety backup
Until now, Tesla’s Robotaxi program included a safety supervisor inside each car either riding shotgun in Texas or sitting behind the wheel in California, hands off. That’s no longer the case. In Austin, Tesla’s Model Y Robotaxi units have been spotted navigating city streets alone. These test vehicles run a unique “unsupervised” version of FSD 14, previously used only internally or on closed grounds.
Tesla prepares public FSD rollout via OTA update
Tesla says it’s ready to combine this unsupervised Robotaxi software with its standard FSD 14 release. This means private Model Y owners with the right hardware specifically HW4 will soon get an over-the-air update bringing unsupervised FSD capabilities to their cars. Tesla hinted the rollout will be gradual at first, then accelerate quickly. HW3 owners, though, may only receive a limited “FSD Lite” version that lacks the full autonomy required for Robotaxi use.
What Tesla’s Robotaxi launch means for owners
Once enabled, Tesla owners with compatible Model Y vehicles will be able to:
- Add their car to the Robotaxi fleet through Tesla’s app
- Earn passive income during idle hours
- Share 20% of earnings with Tesla for app and platform support
- Avoid wear-and-tear from manual driving
That extra income could make a big difference especially for owners who only drive occasionally.
Tesla Robotaxi vision inches closer to 2026 target
Elon Musk has long pointed to 2026 as the year Tesla’s Robotaxi network would fully take shape, coinciding with the launch of its Cybercab two-seater. That timeline suddenly feels more real. With unsupervised FSD running live in cities and OTA updates on the way, Tesla’s autonomous ride-share dream is no longer a concept, it’s happening.
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