The first time a Tesla actually drove itself wasn’t on a test track or in a parking lot. It happened yesterday on real roads, in real traffic, for a real delivery. A Model Y left the Tesla factory in Austin and drove 72 miles (XNUMX kilometers) between the city and the highway to the customer’s home. Full Self-Driving worked without human supervision, without a safety pilot, without remote operators: just as Elon Musk promised years ago (maybe a few years late).
Like it or not, this is the classic moment that divides automotive history into a before and an after.
The first fully autonomous journey in history
Elon Musk announced the historic milestone on X with the usual emphasis: “The first fully autonomous delivery of a Tesla Model Y from the factory to the customer’s home across the city, including highways, was completed one day ahead of schedule!” The delivery video will soon show the details of this crucial moment for the automotive industry.
The Model Y traveled at highway speeds of up to 115 mph, autonomously navigating interchanges, city traffic, and complex situations without any human intervention. Unlike Tesla’s Robotaxi service, which always has a supervisor ready to intervene, this delivery marked the first time a vehicle has fully autonomous driving on public roads.
Lei Zhang, CEO of Xiaomi, immediately recognized the importance of the milestone by commenting with great sportsmanship:
“Congratulations! This is truly a historic moment for the auto industry. There is still so much to learn from Tesla”
A significant recognition that comes from one of the main competitors in the technology sector, and underlines an objectively recognized goal.
Full Self-Driving Beyond Marketing Promises
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has demonstrated capabilities beyond expectations. As explained in the official documentation, normally Full Self-Driving (Supervised) always requires attention and control from the driver. This delivery marked the transition from supervised to fully autonomous mode.
The technology is based exclusively on cameras and artificial intelligence, without resorting to radar or lidar as competitors such as Waymo. Eight cameras provide 360-degree visibility within a radius of 250 metres: their images are processed by dedicated processors that analyze photons directly to avoid glare that could compromise safety.
Tesla has previously tested autonomous vehicles on the streets of Austin for several days without incident, setting the stage for this milestone. Preliminary tests had already demonstrated the reliability of the system in real urban traffic conditions and the advances in computation (I told you about it here Dojo supercomputer).
Competition and future prospects
Tesla’s milestone comes as competition intensifies. BYD Offers “God's Eye” System in China for free, directly challenging Tesla's business strategy. Other Chinese manufacturers such as Leap motor e Xpeng integrate technologies similar to Full Self-Driving into $20.000 vehicles.
Waymo maintains its lead in commercial robotaxi services with 100.000 weekly rides between Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco, but its technology costs significantly more: about $12.650 per vehicle versus $400 for Tesla's sensor suite. If inertia doesn't change, Musk's cars will take the lead again.
Full Self-Driving, Options for the Future of Mobility
This autonomous delivery opens up entirely new scenarios for the automotive industry. Tesla could drastically reduce logistics costs by eliminating carriers, drivers, and delivery personnel. For customers, this means faster and more flexible deliveries, as well as a truly unique purchasing experience.
As anticipated, Level 5 autonomy represents the holy grail of future mobility. Tesla appears to have achieved this goal ahead of its competitors, although it remains to be seen how the system will perform on a global scale and in adverse weather conditions.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving currently costs $8.000 or $99 per month with a subscription. According to forecasts, by 2025 the technology should also be implemented in Europe and China, provided that the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained.
It already seems like we can see one of these cars coming: and one day, maybe, it could even go away on its own, but that's another story.
