Tesla Model Y Robotaxi First Ride: Smooth, but Glitchy

We’re less than a year away from seeing “millions” of autonomous Teslas roaming the globe, if Elon Musk’s April earnings call prognostications hold true. How’s Full Self-Driving Unsupervised going? To find out, we flew to the first test market, Austin, Texas, and caught seven rides in the initial Model Y Robotaxi. Austin is unique among American cities in offering a choice of two autonomous ride-hailing services, as Waymo has a fleet of its Jaguar I-Pace cars available via the Uber app. So we resolved to attempt a comparison. Note Tesla’s Robotaxi is not to be confused with its two-door Cybercab; rather, it’s based on a long-range dual-motor 2026 Model Y Juniper.

Robotaxi vs Civilian Model Y

Musk’s “millions” claim suggests a switch will eventually be thrown, allowing existing Tesla owners who purchased the pricey Full Self Driving hardware option to suddenly gain access to “unsupervised” FSD. This would allow them to send their cars out to work as taxis instead of baking in the office parking lot. But for now, there are some differences between the mass-produced Model Y and the Model Y Robotaxi.

Project Halo

“Project Halo” is the internal name of the effort to upfit the Model Y for Robotaxi duty, and it includes a subtle addition to the basic “Hardware 4” sensor suite. There’s a second communications and telematics unit to provide redundant and consistent high-bandwidth connectivity for precise GPS tracking. This additional unit also provides a robust connection to operators at the Robotaxi support command center, who can control the vehicle remotely if necessary, and it enables extra data collection during the launch. Tesla says it doesn’t expect to need this second telecoms unit as it scales up. The software is thoroughly updated, and the rear screen is programmed to allow riders to share apps from their Tesla account.

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Invitation and Limitations

In Austin, the Robotaxis all operate now with a safety monitor riding shotgun. These folks are empowered to stop a ride and contact the control center if something goes wrong. They’re allowed to answer specific questions about the ride, but customers are asked not to engage them in conversation. And for now, potential customers must be invited to the service, so the initial customer base is primarily limited to Tesla employees, prominent Teslarati, influencers, and members of the press.

When invited to download the Robotaxi app, the account links to the user’s existing Tesla account, copying preferences and subscriptions. Only the invitee is allowed to download the Robotaxi app, and invited users may bring one adult guest only, they’re allowed (probably encouraged) to document their ride with photos and video, and they’re asked to assign a star rating at the conclusion. Rides must begin, end, and be routed through the geofenced area clearly outlined in the app, the service only runs from 6 to 12 a.m., and users are cautioned “service may be limited or unavailable in the event of inclement weather.”

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Our First Ride

For now, neither Tesla’s Robotaxi service nor Waymo via Uber will pick up or drop off passengers at the airport terminal in Austin, but both services’ coverage area includes the nearby off-site hotels. So we hitched a ride to the Cambria Austin Airport and opened the app.

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3:39 p.m.: We requested a Robotaxi ride to our Homewood Suites at 78 East Avenue, in Austin’s downtown heart. The app predicts the car will arrive in 11 minutes, the journey will take 15 minutes, and the current rate for all Robotaxi rides is $6.90. Like other ride-hailing apps, the Robotaxi app tracks the car’s progress on its way to the pickup location.

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For comparison, Lyft promised a standard car would arrive in 4 minutes for a 14-minute trip costing $10.67, and an UberX was promised in 3 minutes for a 15-minute ride at a price of $11.91. Google Maps reckoned a westerly swing via the 71 and 35 freeways would take 14 minutes, a northeasterly angular toll route would take 15 minutes and cost $1.95, while the most direct surface-street routing (the eco option), which included a brief stretch on I-35, would take 16 minutes.

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3:49 p.m.: Our robotaxi arrives, rolling about 20 yards beyond where I’m standing. (We expect facial recognition will eventually allow the cameras to identify the customer and stop with the rear door directly in front of them.) We climb in, and after buckling seat belts, the “start ride” icon appears on the app and on the rear infotainment screen. But, oopsie. A yellow bar appears atop the screen above the message, “Our team has identified an issue and is working to resolve it.” Within a few seconds, a disembodied voice from HQ comes on and acknowledges they’ve noticed the failure to proceed and are working to correct it. The steering wheel jiggles this way and that, and then we set off.

I’m impressed by how smoothly the Robotaxi accelerates and brakes. The AI is going for a limo driver’s minimization of jerk (an engineering term describing the rate of change in acceleration). I note that via the rear infotainment screen or the Robotaxi app, I can adjust the temperature and pause, play, advance, or rewind audio content. I can contact Robotaxi HQ or request the car pull over and subsequently resume my ride. Without owning a Tesla, my app is not associated with any music subscriptions, but via the car’s screen I’m quickly able to connect my Apple Podcast app via QR code and tune into MotorTrend’s The InEVitable podcast titled, “Tesla’s Early Years + Software Defined Trailers.” In subsequent rides, I was able to continue listening from where I left off. Spotify, Tidal, and TuneIn services can also be connected, content can be streamed from a USB-C drive, and there is even a driving video game (though controlling steering, acceleration, and braking by stabbing at buttons on the screen feels pretty clunky).

3:53 p.m.: Traveling north on S. Pleasant Valley Road, we encountered Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons—clusters of three red lights that protect pedestrian crosswalks where there’s no intersection. It had been solid red, but after the pedestrians crossed, it switched to blinking. The Robotaxi didn't proceed until it stopped blinking, though Texas law permits drivers to proceed once the crosswalk is clear. Oh well, erring on the side of safety?

We expected autonomous ride-hailing vehicles to attempt to emulate human behavior but to never exceed the speed limit. Our Robotaxi was no such stickler, routinely running 5–7 mph above the posted 35-mph limit on wider streets, keeping pace with other traffic. Once we turned left onto Cesar Chavez, a narrow street posted 30 mph with no other traffic, it stuck pretty close to the limit.

4:03 p.m.: Shortly after rolling a yellow light that we couldn’t possibly have stopped for without engaging antilock braking, my Robotaxi did engage ABS, stopping right on an intersection crosswalk line—at a light that was still very green. There were no pedestrians, no potential red-light-running cross traffic, and (thank heaven) no surprised drivers immediately behind us. I asked the safety monitor what might have caused this error, but he had no suggestions. The remainder of the trip went smoothly, with a screen warning me to make sure to gather my belongings about a minute before arriving.

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4:12 p.m.: Arrival. Sort of. The screen asks me to exit safely, indicating the location of the electric door release button, offering me a button to open the trunk (wise to do before exiting if anything’s in there, as the car could leave as soon as all doors are shut), and an option to “contact support.” An Austin native, recognizing we’d arrived at the wrong hotel, might have made that call. I was surprised and had to ask the Hotel Van Zandt (605 Davis Street) valet attendant where the Homewood Suites was. His puzzled look was alarming, but we Google Mapped the 6-minute walk. Turns out the Homewood Suites official address is on a wide street shared with the S I-35 Frontage Road, and its entire front curb is painted red. Uber/Lyft drivers have no compunctions about stopping at this curb to disembark passengers, but the AI was flummoxed. Summoning a Robotaxi later from the same hotel required us to walk about 1,000 feet to another more robo-navigable spot.

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At the conclusion of a ride, the app presents a screen to rate the trip, on which there’s an option to leave a tip. Pressing this brings up a “Just Kidding” screen. After all, having no driver to pay, provide benefits for, or tip is largely the point of autonomous ride hailing.

Subsequent rides proved similar—almost always stopping some distance away from where we were waiting and driving smoothly at about 10 percent faster than the posted limit. No other safety issues arose, though a second ride initiating from that same Cambria hotel location resulted in another error and call to HQ before proceeding. We successfully arrived at the famous original Terry Black’s barbecue restaurant, but we witnessed another Robotaxi initiate a left turn into the same parking lot and then fault out with the emergency flashers on, blocking the left turn lane and partially blocking oncoming traffic. After a few minutes, the safety monitor took the helm and moved the car.

Millions Soon?

We came away from this exercise impressed with the potential of Tesla’s Robotaxi. The driving is smooth, the cabin modern and comfortable, and it feels much airier and more open than a Waymo. But we have public safety concerns about releasing the Full Self Driving Unsupervised in anything close to the version we experienced. Many influencers’ Robotaxi ride videos report glitches similar to the ones we observed, suggesting Tesla has a long way to go to catch Waymo in the autonomous ride-hailing game. And we have to wonder how Musk reckons Tesla’s cameras-only approach will ever allow Robotaxi service to operate in the rain, snow, and sleet that Waymo’s five lidar and six radar sensors are designed to penetrate. Keep reading for more about our Waymo experience.