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.
