Partial90% autopilot capable by 2015
“A Tesla car next year will probably be 90-percent capable of autopilot. Like, so 90 percent of your miles c…”
“We are expecting to have no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year.”
— Elon Musk · Oct 22, 2025 · Tesla Q3 2025 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Oct 22 2025 ↗
What actually happened
On the Oct 22, 2025 Q3 call Musk said Tesla expected no safety drivers in 'large parts of Austin by the end of this year.' Tesla ran empty robotaxis in testing by Dec 2025 and began public paid rides with no in-car safety monitor in parts of Austin on Jan 22, 2026 — about three weeks late. TechCrunch — Tesla starts testing robotaxis in Austin with no safety driver ↗
The Progression
Oct 22, 2025
The promise: “We are expecting to have no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year.” · Tesla Q3 2025 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Oct 22 2025 ↗
Jan 22, 2026
Delivered · Late — 22 days late. On the Oct 22, 2025 Q3 call Musk said Tesla expected no safety drivers in 'large parts of Austin by the end of this year.' Tesla ran empty robotaxis in testing by Dec 2025 and began public paid rides with no in-car safety monitor in parts of Austin on Jan 22, 2026 — about three weeks late. TechCrunch — Tesla starts testing robotaxis in Austin with no safety driver ↗
Today · Jul 16, 2026
Status: Delivered · Late · 22 days late. It happened — eventually.
Driverless robotaxis in Austin by end of 2025 was unveiled in October 2025 with the notable detail 'We expect that by the end of this year, autonomous taxis in most areas of Austin will no longer require safety drivers.' Millions of Tesla owners and urban commuters are waiting and involved in this autonomous driving transformation. This follows Tesla's pattern of ambitious Full Self-Driving predictions, backed by over 250,000 driverless miles in Austin and plans for 8-10 new markets. This milestone matters as it accelerates AI-driven sustainable transportation, potentially slashing costs per mile via Cybercab production starting Q2 2026 and enabling safer, phone-friendly rides that could reshape global mobility.
Receipts
LAST CHECKED 2026-06-25- [TRANSCRIPT] Tesla Q3 2025 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Oct 22 2025
- [REPORT] news.futunn.com
- [REPORT] Futu summary (existing source)
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