Tesla Seems to Have Moved Its Robotaxi Security Screens to a Extra Sneaky Location

Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxis have been working in Austin, Texas, with a security monitor within the passenger seat, a skilled one that can intervene in case something goes mistaken with the autonomous automobile. On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk announced the monitor would not be within the automobile, which was positioned as a serious step ahead within the firm’s capabilities to function autonomously with out human intervention.

Seems, it’s not fairly that straightforward. Electrek reported that, primarily based on social media movies, it seems that Tesla hasn’t truly gotten rid of the security monitor. As a substitute, the corporate has seemingly merely moved the individual right into a path automobile that follows the Robotaxi throughout its journey. A number of videos present Robotaxis being tailed by Tesla automobiles, suggesting that Tesla’s autonomous driving will not be as superior as the corporate would love it to seem. Tesla, it needs to be famous, hasn’t confirmed whether or not or not it’s working path vehicles. The corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark on the time of publication, however it additionally hasn’t had an working public relations division in a few years.

My first unsupervised @robotaxi trip right here in Austin! Come together with me on this 1st expertise of driving round Austin with simply me within the automobile and within the again seat!

Congrats to the @Tesla_AI staff! 🤠👍 pic.twitter.com/YVJ19zp2qZ

— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) January 22, 2026

In a video uploaded by Tesla fanatic Joe Tegtmeyer, he will be heard figuring out the “chase automobile” that’s following his trip in what he identifies as his “first unsupervised Robotaxi trip.” Tegtmeyer suggests the automobile is there for “validation,” which looks as if a pleasant manner of claiming “being on scene in case something goes horribly mistaken.”

In a vacuum, there’s nothing essentially mistaken with the thought of a path automobile for security functions—although it does appear to be a really inefficient strategy to function if you find yourself attempting to supply rides at scale. However it’s the weaselly manner that Musk has introduced this alteration that provides it such a nasty style. Musk mentioned that the Robotaxis are driving “with no security monitor within the automobile.” That’s technically right. However the data that the security monitor continues to be concerned and ready to probably intervene in each single trip undermines the concept Tesla has achieved some new, significant stage of autonomy.

The truth that security screens are nonetheless concerned at such a granular stage suggests Tesla continues to be lightyears behind Waymo, which is at the moment working a fleet of round 2,500 vehicles with out a human round to intervene bodily (although they do nonetheless have remote operators who can take over at any level). Tesla, in the meantime, is reportedly working about 80ish Robotaxis in total, and often solely a handful on the similar time.

Regardless of this, Musk went on stage in Davos, Switzerland, on the World Financial Discussion board and claimed that Tesla has solved autonomy. “I believe self-driving vehicles is actually a solved downside at this level,” he said earlier than claiming that Tesla’s Robotaxis will probably be “very widespread by the top of this yr throughout the U.S.” If that’s true, prepare for some main site visitors jams contemplating each Tesla Robotaxi trip truly places two vehicles on the street: the one getting you to your vacation spot and the one which makes positive you don’t burst into flames.