Tesla Robotaxi To Rely On Remote Control Failsafe When FSD Fails

Tesla’s much-ballyhooed Robotaxi driverless ride-hail service isn’t quite ready to embrace full autonomy just yet. A Reuters report on Deutsche Bank’s communications with Tesla investor relations chief Travis Axelrod said that the two-seat robotaxi may need human intervention “at least initially for safety and redundancy purposes.” That statement suggests that the car will still need a human to take over occasionally, as is the case with the Tesla Model Y and other vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving technology. But since the two-seat Robotaxi has neither the space nor the steering wheel to accommodate an onboard driver, Tesla will resort to a staff of “teleoperators” who can take over control of the ride-share from a remote location.

Tesla

Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer largely attributed to driving the EV revolution. Through the Model S and subsequent products, Tesla has innovated and challenged industry conventions on numerous fronts, including over-the-air updates, self-driving technology, and automotive construction methods. Tesla is considered the world’s most valuable car brand as of 2023, and the Model Y the world’s best-selling car in the same year, but the brand’s greatest achievement is arguably the Supercharger network of EV charging stations.

Founded: July 1, 2003
Founder: Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning
Headquarters: Austin, Texas, USA
Owned By: Publicly Traded
Current CEO: Elon Musk

Born To Be Autonomous, Forced To Be Human-Operated

Tesla’s latest update to Full Self-Driving is capable of parked-to-parked operation, meaning the driver can enter a destination, activate FSD, and let the car do all the driving – including finding a parking space once you get where you’re going. This advanced functionality seems perfect for the driverless Robotaxi, but as Jalopnik points out, the teleoperators will remain on hand in case anything goes wrong. Given Axelrod’s comments, it sounds as though the human remote controllers may only be a temporary safety measure and that the Robotaxi will eventually be fully autonomous.

Watch: Tesla FSD’s New Hurry Mode Drives Like An Angry New Yorker In A Rush

Tesla Full Self-Driving now includes a Hurry mode that aims to slice through traffic and get you there quicker.

Your changes have been saved

Add CarBuzz to your Google News feed.

Tesla follows a rough one-year update cadence for each new version of Full Self-Driving, with FSD 13 launching in November 2024, FSD 12 in November 2023, FSD 11 in November 2022, etc. That could mean that a fully unsupervised FSD 14 could arrive this time next year, finally delivering on Tesla’s long-delayed promise of autonomous driving sans driver intervention. As it stands, Tesla’s Robotaxi service will launch with human remote controllers on standby in the company’s native state of California and its adopted Texas home sometime next year. The company will retain ownership of the fleet and make the cars available through a proprietary app service – similar to Waymo’s driverless Jaguar I-Pace taxi program.

Car Service For The Masses

Tesla claims its Robotaxi will be cheaper and simpler to produce, as well as more efficient than any of its current lineup of passenger cars. It will reportedly use half as many parts as a Model 3, and with a smaller cabin and none of the hardware related to driving (pedals, steering wheel, control stalks), the Robotaxi will be lighter as well. The two-seat configuration, chosen because Tesla’s research suggests most car trips are taken alone or with one other person, also enables more optimized aerodynamics for better efficiency.

Tesla’s Current Tech Can’t Do FSD, Admits Musk

Tesla’s HW3 was supposed to support full self-driving, but that might not be the case after all.

The idea is that hailing a Robotaxi will be more economical for a variety of people, hopefully democratizing zero-emissions motoring and the safety and flexibility of a private car service. With another several months before we get to experience the Tesla Robotaxi out on the road, the feasibility of that promise is still in question.