Tesla’s (TSLA) assertion that its Austin robotaxis operate fully autonomously is being challenged by reports that the vehicle is accompanied by a trailing support car, suggesting it is not operating independently.
On Thursday, Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk posted on X that the company had “just started Tesla Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car.” But according to electrek, the robotaxi is being followed by a trailing Tesla to provide supervision.
A video on X.com shows a vehicle driving approximately 15-20 feet behind the robotaxi, following the robotaxi to its destination.
“Here’s the reality: Tesla didn’t remove the safety monitor. It simply moved them from inside the robotaxi to a chase car following closely behind,” electrek said, accusing Musk of making misleading—though not false—claims about the autonomy of the robotaxi.
Since Tesla (TSLA) has not yet provided any information as to what the trailing vehicle is there for, videos posted online suggest a human is in the vehicle to provide assistance in case of an emergency or failure of the autonomous technology, thereby putting into question the company’s claims that the robotaxi is operating “unsupervised.”
The race for fully autonomous robotaxis between Waymo (GOOG), Zoox (AMZN), Tesla (TSLA) and Chinese competitors has led to the rapid deployment of vehicles in major U.S. cities and in the Middle East, where Chinese companies like WeRide, Baidu (BIDU), and Pony.ai (PONY) dominate, while in the U.S., Waymo (GOOG) leads. To catch Waymo’s (GOOG) lead, competitors are developing partnerships, moving into less regulated markets overseas, rapidly scaling service in U.S. cities, and even expanding the definition of “fully autonomous.”