Tesla has launched a robotaxi service in Austin, using vehicles equipped with a supervised version of its updated Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology. Unlike the consumer version, where Tesla owners act as supervisors, a Tesla employee sits in the front passenger seat, ready to engage the emergency stop switch if needed.

A video captured by Tesla shareholders from Ark Invest during a robotaxi test drive shows the vehicle unable to execute a left turn, stopping in the middle of the road. The supervisor had to exit the vehicle, move to the driver's seat, and take control to complete the trip.

According to Electrek, Tesla's decision to move the supervisor from the driver's seat to the passenger seat is merely for appearances, creating a false impression of progress while actually decreasing safety. In the driver's seat, the supervisor has more options to intervene in case of errors than just using the emergency stop switch. This practice also complicates incident response, as seen in the video where the supervisor had to exit the vehicle mid-traffic to take the wheel.

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