Tesla Robotaxi Launches Trial in Austin with Remote Direct Takeover

In June 2025, Tesla launched a Robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas. When vehicle speed drops below approximately 3 km/h and other intervention methods fail, remote operators can directly take control of the vehicle, accelerating it to around 16 km/h as a "last resort" for navigating complex driving scenarios. This approach differs from companies like Waymo, which only provide remote decision-making assistance rather than direct control. Although the industry remains cautious about remote driving due to network latency and limitations in sensor field of view, Tesla continues advancing its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system using a vision-only approach. Currently, Robotaxis are initially deployed with safety drivers onboard and are gradually transitioning toward driverless operations, with remote takeover serving as a critical supplementary mechanism.