Tesla Robotaxi trial is imminent, 10 Model Y vehicles hit the road in Austin

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Tesla (TSLA.US) plans to launch a pilot operation of its autonomous taxi service in Austin, Texas, as early as June 22, with approximately 10 Model Y SUVs being deployed for road testing. Although Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly postponed the timeline for the autonomous taxi project, he has expressed high confidence in safety measures, stating that a professional team will be equipped to implement remote monitoring interventions.

This technology solution, known as "remote operation," has formed two typical practice models in the autonomous driving industry. The progressive route represented by Waymo, a subsidiary of Google (GOOGL.US), adopts a hybrid model of "vehicle autonomous decision-making as the main focus, with human remote intervention as a supplement." When the autonomous driving system encounters complex scenarios such as road construction or emergency vehicle passage, the vehicle will consult a remote safety officer via a cellular network, with humans determining whether to proceed. This model has established standardized processes in Waymo's operations, with its former CEO John Krafcik emphasizing that "the software always retains the final decision-making authority," and humans only provide auxiliary judgment when necessary.

In contrast, other companies have adopted a "virtual driver" solution, where remote operators directly control the vehicle's steering wheel, throttle, and braking system via a 5G network. This model requires extremely high network stability. Professor Philip Koopman, an autonomous driving expert at Carnegie Mellon University, pointed out: "In public road scenarios, the risks of cellular network latency and connection interruption always exist. Under current technological conditions, remote driving is essentially still an unreliable solution." He specifically warned that as the scale of test vehicles expands from 10 to 1 million, the probability of communication interruptions will increase exponentially.

Tesla's autonomous taxi plan presents unique technical path characteristics. Musk promised in January of this year to launch a paid service based on a "fully unmanned supervision" system, but in a May interview, he changed his statement, saying that initial operations would be limited to specific safe areas in Austin, avoiding complex intersections, and would be staffed with remote monitoring personnel. According to insiders, Tesla is recruiting operators with the ability to "remotely access and control autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots," with job descriptions emphasizing "executing complex and precise remote control tasks."

This technical route is facing scrutiny from regulatory authorities. A group of Democratic lawmakers in the Austin area has written to Tesla, requesting that the project launch be postponed until the new autonomous driving regulations take effect in September, arguing that "pushing forward without a legal framework not only jeopardizes public safety but also makes it difficult to establish public trust." Musk himself responded on social media, stating: "Safety is always the top priority, and the specific launch date may be dynamically adjusted."

Currently, the global autonomous taxi industry is still in the geographic fencing testing phase, with companies validating system reliability in limited areas. Although Tesla's trial scale is small, its choice of "progressive remote intervention" The plan may provide a new paradigm for the industry to explore commercialization paths. However, experts remind us that, with the 5G network not yet achieving full low-latency coverage, how to balance technological feasibility, operational efficiency, and public safety remains a core challenge that all participants must face