Brad Templeton Tesla apparently experimented with different paths to getting out on the road before they are ready to run unsupervised. In particular, vehicles were seen with the passenger seat safety driver, and also being followed by a “chase car” with two on board. Reports also came of Tesla planning for “lots of tele-ops” including not just remote assistance (as all services do) but remote supervision including remote driving. We may speculate that Tesla evaluated many different approaches, for example: Releasing a full, actually unsupervised vehicle (ie. a real robotaxi) Remote supervisor over data networks with just “emergency stop” Safety driver behind the wheel (almost all other companies) Safety driver in passenger seat (a few companies) Remote supervisor in chase car (zero latency, direct eyes-on) Remote supervisor over data networks with remote driving Remote driving (Done by Vay and other companies to deliver cars.) “Fake it 'till you make it” – limit operations severely so even though not ready, probability of serious crash is low enough Because Elon Musk promised “nobody in the car” and “unsupervised” in the most recent Tesla earnings call, there was great pressure to produce #1, but the Tesla team must have concluded they could not do that yet, and made the right choice, though #3 is a better choice than #4. They also did not feel up to #2, which is commonly speculated to be what other companies have done on their first launch, later graduating to #1. Tesla does not respond to questions from media. #5 just looks goofy, I think the optics would not work, and it’s also challenging. Remote driving is real and doable--in spite of the latency and connectivity issues of modern data networks--but perhap Tesla could not get it ready in time. All teams use remote assistance operators who do not drive the cars, but can give them advice when they get confused by a situation, and stop and ask for advice. Even Waymo recently added a minor remote driving ability for low-speed “get the car out off the road” sort of operations. I have recommended this for some time. Tesla could have elected to delay. A small group of Texas lawmakers requested Tesla delay until new Texas regulations come into force. Some felt this offered Tesla an easy escape from their self-created deadline, blaming regulators. Musk no longer holds the same sway with federal regulators he had until recently. It is worth noting the contrast beween Cruise’s “night only” launch and Tesla’s mostly-daytime one. Cruise selected the night because there is less traffic and complexity. LIDARs see very well at night. Tesla’s camera-based system has very different constraints at night and many fear it’s inferior then. On the other hand Tesla will operate in some night hours and with more cars and pedestrians on the street. The question for Tesla will be whether the use of safety drivers is a very temporary thing, done just because they weren’t quite ready but needed to meet the announced date, or a multi-year program as it has been for most teams. Tesla is famous for not meeting the forecast ship dates for its FSD system, so it’s not shocking that this pattern continues. The bigger question is whether they can do it at all. Tesla FSD 13, the version available to Tesla owners, isn’t even remotely close to robotaxi ready. If Tesla has made a version which is closer, through extra work, training and severe limitations of the problem space, it’s still a big accomplishment. This will be seen in the coming months. Two robocar teams had severe interactions with pedestrians, resulting in the end of both teams. Tesla knows they must not make mistakes.