Austin, Texas — Tesla has launched its Robotaxi service without safety monitors—an ambitious step that has raised both excitement and concern among industry observers and potential riders. After years riddled with missed deadlines and unmet promises, CEO Elon Musk finally announced this rollout in a video posted on social media, claiming a significant milestone for the company’s self-driving technology.

Musk shared footage of the inaugural Robotaxi ride, which featured a passenger alone in the vehicle, marking a departure from previous operations that required a safety driver in the front seat. This shift signifies a cautious movement towards fully autonomous vehicles, but experts have expressed skepticism about the safety implications given Tesla’s glitch-prone history.

Tesla’s Vice President of Self-Driving, Ashok Elluswamy, provided details on the company’s approach, noting that only a limited number of unsupervised vehicles will be introduced initially, with plans to gradually increase that ratio. This incremental strategy raises questions about the company’s confidence in the system’s safety and reliability, especially in light of reported crashes involving Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet.

Since Tesla’s Robotaxi program began, there have been at least eight crashes, all occurring even with a safety monitor present. This translates to a crash rate of about one incident every 60,000 miles for the fleet, a stark contrast to the national average of one crash per every 500,000 miles driven by human operators. The disparity has invoked concerns regarding the reliability of the autonomous capabilities Tesla is promoting.

Further complicating matters, data from an independent engineering student suggests that the Robotaxi fleet is significantly smaller than Musk claimed. The tracker identified only 32 Model Ys operating in the network, far below the 500 vehicle goal Musk had set for the end of the year. The limited number of vehicles actively in operation highlights key challenges the company faces in scaling this service.

Moreover, there are widespread indications that Tesla heavily relies on remote monitoring systems to ensure safe operation during these pilot rides. Reports indicate that the control room features human operators who can intervene when necessary, casting doubt on the viability of completely unsupervised driving touted by Musk.

The gradual implementation of unsupervised Robotaxis raises important questions about the technology’s readiness for public deployment. Observers are closely watching how quickly the ratio of unsupervised to supervised vehicles changes, the subsequent crash statistics, and whether the fleet will expand significantly to meet earlier projections.

Critics of Tesla’s strategy argue that this phased rollout seems more about optics than genuine progress in the self-driving arena. While Musk has frequently claimed breakthroughs in autonomous technology, the reality on the ground appears to show a company still working to catch up with competitors like Waymo, which has logged millions of miles in fully autonomous driving without safety drivers.

As Musk’s ambitious vision unfolds in Austin, the future of Tesla’s Robotaxi service remains uncertain. Stakeholders will be monitoring crucial metrics to determine whether these vehicles can indeed operate safely without oversight or if this latest initiative is largely an effort to project technological leadership amid growing competitive pressure in the autonomous driving space.