Some events go down in history, whether they be famous or infamous. While many have tried to leave their mark, we are not sure whether this Tesla announcement will indeed be the biggest change in history. If history has taught us one thing, it is that it tends to repeat itself.
Tesla announced the biggest change in history of roads in this state
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is one of those who dreams big or goes home. Last year, Musk dropped hints about Tesla setting self-driving programs in Texas and California in motion in the second quarter of 2025. His recent focus has been on a specific paid ride-hailing service using self-driving in Austin, Texas.
“So, we’re going to be launching unsupervised full self-driving as a paid service in Austin in June. So, I talked to the team. We feel confident in being able to do an initial launch of unsupervised, no one in the car, full self-driving in Austin in June. We already have Teslas operating autonomously unsupervised full self-driving at our factory in Fremont, and we’ll soon be doing that at our factory in Texas.” – Elon Musk, Tesla CEO.
If you think, “This sounds like a robotaxi,” you are not the only one. The people of Los Angeles are no strangers to the term, as robotaxis are quite a familiar sight on the streets. But does this mean that Tesla is launching a fleet of robotaxis?
According to reports, Musk applied for a transportation charter-party carrier permit, or TCP. The permit allows companies to charter transport for sports events and/or special occasions. For Tesla, it grants the deployment of transportation services with company-owned vehicles and human drivers.
This is what Tesla has been hyping about
Tesla will launch an internal vehicle fleet in Austin, consisting of its current vehicle lineup. Others believe the new Cybercab will also be used to offer a paid cab-like service in a geo-fenced area. This is noteworthy, since Musk has been promising Tesla vehicle owners who bought its ‘FSD’ package every year for the last 6 years that their vehicles would upgrade to “unsupervised self-driving.”
Followers should take note that Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) features require “supervision” at all times. Even though Musk announced that the Austin service will be “unsupervised” with “no one in the car,” he is looking to hire people to work in teleoperation to support its self-driving vehicles. The teleoperation would then “supervise” the fleet.
This is when change could be expected
As Musk indicated, they have “unsupervised full self-driving” Teslas at their factory in Fremont, however, he failed to mention that this means Tesla’s vehicles drive themselves to loading areas at low speeds and on private roads. This is completely different from driving unsupervised on public roads.
Bryant Walker Smith, an associate professor of law at the University of South Carolina who specializes in emerging transportation technology, commented that acquiring a TCP and operating a fleet of robotaxis does not have a direct connection.
“They probably want to do some real-world testing of their dispatch system, looking down the road at when they hope to maybe launch a robotaxi service.” – Sam Abuelsamid, Telemetry Insights Researcher.
For now, the timeline of when history will be changed remains unclear. Tesla must first be approved for their TCP, as well as apply to the CPUC autonomous vehicle program. Another hurdle includes the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which also requires permits for testing and eventually deploying driverless vehicles.
Only time, as well as an official statement, will tell us whether Tesla’s “self-driving” vehicles will indeed be the biggest change in the history of Texas roads.