Tesla to Geofence Self-Driving Tests in Austin to ‘Safest’ Areas, Musk Says
Tesla’s much-anticipated robotaxi service is set to debut in Austin, Texas, next month, but with a significant caveat: CEO Elon Musk has announced that initial tests will be confined to specific, pre-approved areas deemed “the safest.” This marks a shift from Tesla’s previous ambitions for a universal self-driving solution.
In an interview with CNBC, Musk explained that Tesla vehicles would avoid intersections unless the company is highly confident in their ability to navigate them successfully. “We’re going to be extremely paranoid about the deployment, as we should be. It would be foolish not to be,” Musk stated, emphasizing the cautious approach.
The use of a geofence represents a major change in strategy. Previously, Musk envisioned a self-driving system that could be deployed in any location without human intervention. Geofencing restricts the vehicle’s operation to a defined geographical area. Musk indicated that Tesla plans to launch similar robotaxi trials in California and possibly other states later this year.
Musk had alluded to the possibility of geofencing during Tesla’s first-quarter earnings call in April, suggesting the implementation of a “localized parameter set” for early robotaxi operations.
As part of Tesla’s “paranoid” approach, Musk revealed that the initial fleet of approximately 10 Model Y SUVs, equipped with the “unsupervised” version of Full Self-Driving software, will be remotely monitored by Tesla employees. He also asserted that these vehicles will operate without a safety driver present.
“I think it’s prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well, and then scale it up proportionate to how well we see it’s doing,” Musk added.
Remote monitoring and support are common practices among autonomous vehicle companies. Waymo, for instance, operates a fleet response center where employees monitor robotaxis and provide remote guidance. While Waymo’s remote team doesn’t take direct control of the vehicles, they assist the self-driving system by providing context and problem-solving support, as detailed in a Waymo blog post from May 2024.
