Driverless Tesla Robotaxi Spotted on Camera in Austin [VIDEO]

June 10, 2025

By Karan Singh

@TerrapinTerpene

Today, @terrapinTerpene on X spotted a pair of interesting-looking Model Ys on the streets of Austin, Texas. The first black Model Y had a Robotaxi wordmark emblazoned on the front door of the vehicle.

The best part is that the lead vehicle didn’t have a driver in it. The second, trailing car did have a driver, likely a chase driver, but it didn’t have the same Robotaxi logo on the side. Tesla is likely conducting the final stages of testing where unsupervised vehicles are going from point A to point B, while still having a safety vehicle nearby.

HOLY CRAP ITS A #ROBOTAXI!!@SawyerMerritt @WholeMarsBlog @DirtyTesLa @niccruzpatane pic.twitter.com/slfAsu0AQl
— Terrapin Terpene Col (@TerrapinTerpene) June 10, 2025

This comes just as the City of Austin officially listed Tesla as a Known AV Operator on their Autonomous Vehicles website. That regulatory green light has now been translated into reality with the first sightings of Tesla Robotaxis on the streets of Austin - and we’re expecting to see even more of these vehicles in the next few days.

Several Tesla employees quickly chimed in as the video began circulating on X.

Employee Reactions

Tesla’s key members jumped up on X to respond to the sighting. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of Autopilot and AI Software, responded with a simple message.

“Slowly at first, then…” - Ashok

Tesla’s stated plans for the rollout are to begin with a small fleet of just 10 Model Ys in Austin for the initial stages. This will allow for a controlled deployment while Tesla closely monitors and confirms that they’re within the safety envelope they’re looking for - much safer than a human driver. That number is then expected to increase over the coming weeks and months, with an expectation to hit over 1,000 Robotaxis in use by late 2025 as Tesla looks to expand their services to other cities.

Tesla is expected to launch the Robotaxi network to employees on June 12th, just two days away. A public launch, where anyone could use a Robotaxi, is expected to follow in late June or early July,

Tesla’s Lead Engineer for the Robotaxi Program, Eric E, was even more direct on X.

“Its go time”. - Eric

Musk Confirms These Are Ordinary Model Ys

Elon also commented, stating that each of these vehicles used in the Robotaxi network are standard Model Y vehicles, coming directly from the factory, reinforcing the point that every new Tesla will be capable of Unsupervised FSD.

These are unmodified Tesla cars coming straight from the factory, meaning that every Tesla coming out of our factories is capable of unsupervised self-driving! https://t.co/n94ln0Uas6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2025

This is what’s critical to Tesla. Unlike competitors like Waymo, who depend on bespoke vehicles with nearly another car’s worth of expensive LiDAR, Radar, and camera sensors mounted on top of an existing vehicle, Tesla is demonstrating that any Model Y equipped with its latest FSD computer, AI4, is capable of Unsupervised FSD.

This is exactly what Elon means when he says millions of vehicles will become Robotaxis overnight. It takes just a flick of a software switch to enable Robotaxi for every AI4 Model Y out there today.

Tesla’s main account on X also doubled down on Elon’s statement, pointing out that it is really just a standard Model Y.

This is the same car you can currently buy btw https://t.co/OBoWBuD2AR
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

It’s Happening

After years of promises, testing, development, disappointment, excitement, and hype… Tesla’s golden moment is finally here. The appearance of real Robotaxis using FSD has finally arrived. This isn’t just an internal beta happening on factory roads or with safety drivers. The first Teslas are finally really driving themselves on public roads with no human supervision.

The next few days will no doubt be some of the most exciting days in Tesla’s history.

New Model Y Performance Hits Nürburgring -- Our Best Look yet at the Upcoming Performance Model [VIDEO]

June 10, 2025

By Karan Singh

Carscoops

Tesla’s refreshed Model Y Performance has made another appearance on the famous Nürburgring racetrack, undergoing more high-speed testing. A new video from CarSpyMedia provides a clearer look at the upcoming Performance variant.

The Model Y was once again wrapped in the now-familiar white and black camouflage covering the entire vehicle as it was pushed hard on the track. Since the camo doesn’t obscure the design elements of the front and rear bumpers, we now have a better idea of the changes to the Model Y Performance over the AWD version.

Spoiler, Red Calipers, No Aero Ducts

It appears that this prototype was likely the same one that was previously spotted. This means we’re still expecting it to come with a longer spoiler, similar to the legacy Model Y Performance. That spoiler is likely to be made of carbon fiber and will likely also make its way to the Tesla store in the future as a cosmetic add-on. Tesla did something similar when it added the Alcantara dash trim to the Tesla Store, which was initially exclusive to the Launch Series Model Y.

Interestingly, Tesla isn’t including any aggressive-looking aero ducts on this Performance variant, unlike the Model 3 Performance’s unique front fascia. Instead, it appears the red calipers have made a return, which means that Tesla will be bringing larger, performance-tuned brakes to the vehicle.

Oddly, the rear right brake caliper cover was the only one that wasn’t painted red, but this could have been caused by Tesla engineers working on the vehicle while it was on the track.

Tesla is likely focused on the adaptive and actively-damped suspension rather than any particular aerodynamic improvements. We expect Tesla to include an adaptive suspension system similar to the one introduced with the Model 3 Performance. These adaptive suspensions can adjust to driver and road input in real-time with adaptive damping.

Consistent with previous sightings, it appears that Tesla is still equipping this vehicle with new alloy wheels that resemble the Model S’ classic Arachnid wheels, finished in a sleek-looking matte grey.

We expect Tesla to introduce the new Performance Model Y in the upcoming months, so keep a close eye out if you’re in the market for a faster, slightly sleeker Model Y.

Tesla Robotaxi Incidents to be Trackable on City of Austin's Website as Tesla Gets Added As AV Operator

June 10, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

In one of the most concrete steps toward officially launching its Robotaxi network, Tesla has now been listed as a “Known AV Operator” on the City of Austin’s website. The listing appeared yesterday and lists Tesla among other autonomous vehicle operators such as Waymo (Google), Zoox (Amazon), and others.

This official addition lends some weight to recent reports that Tesla will launch its employee network on June 12th — just two days away.

This also echoes Musk’s recent comments that the Robotaxi program is running ahead of schedule.

Green Light

This is the first indication that Tesla is moving beyond its internal phases, as Musk has stated that Tesla has already been running vehicles in Austin without anyone in the driver's seat. However, there was a driver in the passenger seat to intervene if needed.

The status on Austin’s site lists Tesla as “Testing,” the same status used for most of the other operators. The only other operators not listed as testing are Motional, which is listed as Mapping, and Waymo, which is listed as ‘Deployment.’ We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on this to see when Tesla’s status changes to deployed.

This addition to Austin’s website is the bureaucratic green light many have been waiting for, confirming that Tesla has been working with local transportation authorities to meet the necessary requirements to be recognized as a permitted AV operator.

Reporting Incidents

The City of Austin’s website also has autonomous vehicles report incidents if a vehicle blocks traffic, has a collision, or even a near miss. The website features a dynamic map, with each incident marked, and it even allows you to filter incidents by year or company. This will be another piece of information to keep an eye on to see how Tesla does in their initial phase.

What to Expect from the Initial Launch

With the official acknowledgment from the city, the focus now shifts to what the initial Robotaxi service will look like. Based on details shared by Elon, the initial rollout is expected to be a measured, deliberate deployment rather than a city-wide free-for-all. That means a small fleet of 10 Model Ys in the first week, which will slowly expand on a week-by-week basis.

Tesla will have human teleoperators on standby at its Giga Texas operations hub to help out if a vehicle gets stuck or has an incident. For the most part, these operators are expected to simply watch and observe, rather than actually taking the reins.

Avoiding Tough Situations

Tesla has also said that it’ll be cautious with its initial routing - complex intersections or difficult edge-case scenarios will be avoided directly within the trip planner, making the route as easy as possible.

With the launch potentially days away, the addition of Tesla to the official list of AV Operators in Austin is a check in the box that all systems are a ‘go’ for Robotaxi.