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 educated one that can intervene in case something goes improper with the autonomous car. On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk announced the monitor would now not be within the automobile, which was positioned as a significant step ahead within the firm’s capabilities to function autonomously with out human intervention.

Seems, it’s not fairly that straightforward. Electrek reported that, based mostly 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 autos, suggesting that Tesla’s autonomous driving might not be as superior as the corporate would love it to look. Tesla, it ought to be famous, hasn’t confirmed whether or not or not it’s working path automobiles. The corporate didn’t reply to a request for remark on the time of publication, nevertheless 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 crew! 🤠👍 pic.twitter.com/YVJ19zp2qZ

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

In a video uploaded by Tesla fanatic Joe Tegtmeyer, he may 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 means of claiming “being on scene in case something goes horribly improper.”

In a vacuum, there’s nothing essentially improper with the thought of a path automobile for security functions—although it does appear to be a really inefficient solution to function when you’re attempting to supply rides at scale. Nevertheless it’s the weaselly means that Musk has introduced this modification that offers it such a nasty style. Musk stated that the Robotaxis are driving “with no security monitor within the automobile.” That’s technically right. However the information that the security monitor continues to be concerned and able to doubtlessly intervene in each single trip undermines the concept Tesla has achieved some new, significant stage of autonomy.

The truth that security displays are nonetheless concerned at such a granular stage suggests Tesla continues to be lightyears behind Waymo, which is at present working a fleet of round 2,500 automobiles and not using 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 identical 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 feel self-driving automobiles is actually a solved downside at this level,” he said earlier than claiming that Tesla’s Robotaxis shall be “very widespread by the tip of this yr inside the U.S.” If that’s true, prepare for some main site visitors jams contemplating each Tesla Robotaxi trip truly places two automobiles on the highway: the one getting you to your vacation spot and the one which makes certain you don’t burst into flames.