The Robotaxi, Tesla’s autonomous taxi, has begun testing to start operations in Austin, the capital of Texas.
A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared a video of a Tesla Model Y spotted on a public road in Austin, with no driver and no passenger.
The company, led by Elon Musk, aims to directly compete with autonomous taxis from Waymo, which belongs to Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
However, while Waymo uses heavily modified Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, Tesla will deploy the Model Y with its already existing autonomous driving technology.
Just saw a Tesla with no one in the car @SawyerMerritt @wholemars @robotaxi @Tesla pic.twitter.com/llSt6UPbH4
— 420 Bounty Hunter (@Mandablorian) December 14, 2025
For now, Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet in Austin has operated with a human safety monitor in the driver’s seat, but this is apparently expected to change soon.
In a post on X, Musk suggested that fully driverless Robotaxi testing is already “underway.” It remains to be seen whether Tesla will be able to meet its previous goal of starting service this year.
Photo and video: Tesla / X @Mandablorian. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
