Tesla's push for autonomous driving is starting to fully take shape. Keen observer Joe Tegtmeyer (@JoeTegtmeyer) shared a rare positive development on the struggling electric vehicle maker. Tegtmeyer spotted the notable achievement at Gigafactory Texas and posted about it on X.
Breaking Giga Texas News! starting today, new vehicles (Model Ys & @Cybertruck are moving fully autonomously from the factory to the west outbound lot and without human supervisors!
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) April 7, 2025
I saw this happening constantly, with Model Ys exiting and immediately driving away on their own… pic.twitter.com/LOAaao99OL
Tegtmeyer revealed they saw Model Y's and Cybertrucks driving fully autonomously without supervision about two miles from the factory to the outbound lot. From there, humans put the finishing touches on getting the vehicles ready.
"This is a huge accomplishment for @Tesla as now Giga Texas joins Fremont as FSD improves overall efficiency!" Tegtmeyer wrote. Tegtmeyer is correct, as unsupervised Full Self-Driving in Fremont was indeed teased by the brand in January.
Whether the feature will boost the struggling company's sales is anyone's guess. Tesla is currently experiencing plummeting sales and dropping stock, as many electric vehicle customers have turned away from and even protested the brand in light of CEO Elon Musk's political activity.
Teslarati added further context on why this is such a big deal beyond the potential efficiency gains for the Gigafactory. Notably, the development is taking place in Austin, where Tesla is aiming to start rolling out driverless cabs in June. The vehicles transporting passengers won't be Cybercabs, at least initially.
Tesla is all-in on driverless taxis, with its sights set on California next. When it comes to this space, Tesla is actually not the first. Waymo has rolled out its own offerings in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin. To Waymo's credit, its entire fleet is electric, and it partners with energy companies to run on clean energy.
Still, Tesla's progress in this area is a big deal. FSD is a feature on many models, but drivers are still expected to remain attentive when it is running. It has, however, saved many drivers from accidents in its current form.
Unsupervised FSD takes the tech to the next level and will pose a greater test for its capabilities. Tesla owners with unsupervised FSD could even rent out their vehicles as taxis to generate passive income, which may draw some back to the brand.
The overall trajectory is positive, with more EVs on the road, reduced collective tailpipe pollution, and a decrease in reliance on dirty energy. Research has shown that EVs are better for the planet than gas-powered vehicles, even when accounting for downsides like mining.
Commenters on Teslarati were excited about the news.
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For sure 👍 "Very cool and futuristic," one wrote. "I had a feeling [that] this would be happening soon."
"I use FSD nearly everyday and having new vehicles drive out the factory and park on it's own is a no brainer and easy peasy," another shared.
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