Tesla achieved another milestone this week as a Model Y crossover autonomously drove itself from the Texas factory to a customer in downtown Austin, about a 30-minute journey. This accomplishment comes just after the successful launch of Tesla’s robotaxi service last Sunday. Despite city officials stating they lack the authority to regulate these vehicles, Tesla celebrated the groundbreaking delivery of a Model Y without a driver, completing the trip to the customer’s location a half-hour away. This marks the second milestone for the brand this week, following the launch of the robotaxi service, and serves as an early birthday gift for CEO Elon Musk, who had promised this achievement to Tesla supporters by his 54th birthday on June 28. The fully autonomous delivery was completed a day ahead of schedule, showcasing Tesla’s first-ever practical application of unsupervised full-self driving (FSD). A video was uploaded by Tesla as evidence, capturing the entire journey from the factory to the customer’s address downtown. The success of this autonomous delivery raises questions about its broader implications for distribution strategies and potential challenges such as range limitations and regulatory obstacles. The landmark delivery has sparked skepticism regarding the realism of Tesla’s autonomous technology and concerns about potential misconceptions among the public. Tesla’s robotaxi service, operating in Austin with some limitations, continues to be closely monitored for safety and operational considerations.
On June 28, 2025, Tesla (@Tesla) found itself in a situation where the timing appeared to work in its favor. Elon Musk aimed to shift investor attention toward the launch of the company’s robotaxi technology, diverting focus from its struggling core business of electric vehicle sales. Anticipated for the upcoming week is the release of Tesla’s second-quarter global production and delivery figures, expected to show a 14% decrease in deliveries to 383,000 vehicles based on estimates from the company’s investor relations team.
Despite efforts to assure investors, some skeptics continue to harbor doubts, a sentiment partially influenced by past experiences. A notable example was the controversial “Paint It Black” video from nearly nine years ago, where Tesla depicted a vehicle driving autonomously with no human oversight, later revealed to be a scripted demonstration. This incident, along with a more recent one in October 2024 where prototype robots were operated remotely without disclosure, have fueled ongoing suspicions.
Tesla’s AI director, Ashok Elluswamy, clarified in a sworn deposition that the self-driving delivery video was not intended as an accurate portrayal of the technology. Although Tesla did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment, Elluswamy defended the recent video, stating that a random Model Y customer from Austin was chosen, and the vehicle was no different from others produced in the factory.
The original story was published on Fortune.com.
