Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk says he's been chauffeured around Austin by a driverless Robotaxi, no safety driver required. It's a bold claim as the billionaire's self-imposed deadline for launching driverless operations approaches the end of the year.
No Hands, No Driver, No Problem?
Musk took to X on Wednesday to share his experience. "A Tesla with no safety monitor in the car and me sitting in the passenger seat took me all around Austin on Sunday with perfect driving," he wrote. That's quite the endorsement from the CEO himself.
Tesla's AI lead, Ashok Elluswamy, jumped into the conversation too, posting his own video from inside a Tesla Robotaxi navigating Austin's streets. "It's an amazing experience!" he declared, filming from the back seat while the car did all the work.
When Perfect Driving Breaks the Speed Limit
Here's where things get interesting. Elluswamy's video captured the autonomous vehicle hitting 37 mph in a 30 mph zone. Not exactly the best look when you're trying to convince regulators and the public that your driverless cars are ready for prime time. Dan O'Dowd, founder of The Dawn Project, has previously raised safety concerns about Tesla's autonomous driving systems, and footage like this probably won't quiet those critics.
Software Evolution and Industry Comparisons
When a user on X recently surfaced comments from Andrej Karpathy, Tesla's former AI lead, comparing the company's software to Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) (GOOG)'s Waymo, Musk pushed back hard. The CEO said Tesla's software has evolved significantly since Karpathy left, calling his former colleague's understanding "dated."
Tesla got some validation from an unexpected source recently. The head of robotics at Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) praised Tesla's Full Self-Driving system, saying it's accurate enough that you can't tell whether "a neural net or a human drove you home." That's high praise from a company that supplies critical chips to the autonomous vehicle industry.
Reality Check on Fleet Size
The Austin Robotaxi operation might not be quite as expansive as originally envisioned. A Robotaxi tracker built by a Texas A&M University engineering student has identified just over 32 Tesla Robotaxis in the city. That's a relatively modest fleet for what Musk has hyped as a transformative transportation service.
European Expansion in the Works
Tesla isn't just focused on Texas. The company is working with RDW, the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, to bring Full Self-Driving technology to Europe by February 2026. Getting regulatory approval in Europe could open up a massive market for Tesla's autonomous driving ambitions.
The Bottom Line
Tesla performs well on momentum and quality metrics, though it struggles on value measures. The stock shows favorable price trends across short, medium, and long-term timeframes.
Price Action: Tesla (TSLA) shares dropped 0.23% to $484.26 in after-hours trading on December 24, according to market data.