Tesla is preparing to quietly launch its long-promised robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, possibly as early as Sunday, with a limited fleet of around 10 Model Y SUVs. According to CEO Elon Musk, these vehicles will operate in carefully selected zones, avoiding complex intersections and being closely monitored by humans. The approach relies on a technology called teleoperation—remote access and control—raising both hopes for innovation and concerns about safety.
Teleoperation, already used by companies like Alphabet’s Waymo and China’s Baidu, allows humans to supervise and occasionally take control of autonomous vehicles when they encounter uncertain scenarios. The concept plays a central role in the global robotaxi industry, where real-world conditions often confuse even the most advanced AI systems. For example, Waymo has agents who can respond when their system requests human input, as shown in a demonstration where a car asked whether it could proceed past emergency vehicles blocking part of a street. However, these humans are not driving the vehicles directly but act more as advisors, with the autonomous software making the final decision.
Some companies have explored more direct intervention. Baidu’s Apollo Go has reportedly used fully remote backup drivers capable of virtually taking control of vehicles. While that model offers immediate response options, it introduces serious risks. Experts warn that driving a car remotely via a cellular connection poses reliability challenges. Network lags, dropped signals, and the inability to react quickly in emergencies are all significant limitations.
Carnegie Mellon University professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert Philip Koopman calls teleoperation “inherently unreliable,” warning that in larger-scale deployments, losing connection at a critical moment is all but inevitable. “If they’ve done their homework, this won’t ever happen for 10 cars. With a million cars, it’s going to happen every day,” Koopman said. Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik echoed those concerns, saying the signal delay alone makes remote driving “very risky.” Even relying solely on the vehicle to reach out for assistance is not a perfect solution, as the AI may not always make the right decision.
Another issue is scale. One human can only monitor a limited number of vehicles effectively, raising questions about how Tesla—or any company—would scale its robotaxi service without compromising oversight. Musk has said that Tesla is taking a cautious approach to the rollout, describing the company as “super paranoid about safety” and hinting that the tentative June 22 launch date could shift depending on internal assessments.
Inside Tesla, the idea of using teleoperators has long been part of the robotaxi playbook. Sources familiar with the company’s planning said teleoperation would allow a human to step in when, for example, a vehicle becomes confused in a crowded pedestrian zone. Tesla has advertised for such positions, describing roles that involve remotely accessing vehicles or humanoid robots to perform complex tasks.
Still, public scrutiny is growing. A group of Democratic lawmakers from the Austin area recently called on Tesla to delay the launch until September, when new autonomous vehicle regulations are set to take effect. In their letter, they argued the delay would be in “the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations.”
For now, Tesla is betting that its limited pilot program in Austin will lay the groundwork for broader deployment. But the technical, ethical, and regulatory questions surrounding teleoperation remain unresolved—especially as Musk insists this is only the beginning. “Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin,” he said earlier this year. What happens next may determine the future not just of Tesla’s robotaxi vision, but of the entire autonomous vehicle industry.