Tesla Model Y Self-Delivers to Customer in Industry First

What Happened?

A Tesla Model Y vehicle self-delivered to a customer in an industry first, driving fully autonomously from the Texas Gigafactory to the customers home some thirty minutes away. Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on X, ‘There were no people in the car at all and no remote operators in control at any point. FULLY autonomous.’

A later statement by Tesla added, ‘This Tesla drove itself from Gigafactory Texas to its new owner’s home, crossing parking lots, highways, and the city to reach its new owner.’ The vehicle in question used Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to reach its destination.

Why it Matters

Autonomous delivery could change the way cars are transported and delivered from factories to dealerships and finally to owners. With cars that can self-deliver, the entire process could be shortened, which could reduce costs and the time it takes for new vehicles to reach their destinations. In a world where every car could self-deliver, there might not be a need for dealerships at all. 

The timing of the self-delivery announcement is beneficial to Tesla, since the autonomous ride service roll out in Austin, Texas two weeks ago hasn’t been going as well as hoped. There have been reports of Tesla’s robo-taxis violating road rules, though thus far those reports have not been confirmed. 

Alphabet owned Waymo has been operating fully autonomous cars on public roads for well over a year, so Elon Musk’s claims to be the first there are inaccurate. But Waymo’s vehicles have never delivered to a new customer, so Tesla can rightly claim a first in that regard. Waymo uses its autonomous vehicles only to provide ride sharing services, whereas Tesla allows its FSD operated cars to be bought by private owners. 

The delivery is also a win for Tesla’s FSD system, because the delivery route involved navigating a series of highways, stoplights, intersections, and city streets. By safely and successfully overcoming those obstacles, Tesla proved its FSD system can operate without human intervention. Whether that turns out to be a Wright-Brothers type of moment for Tesla remains to be seen, but from that eight-hundred-foot powered flight at Kitty-Hawk, North Carolina, came the entire world of commercial aviation.

Fully autonomous vehicles offer a number of potential advantages for owners. For older people who are unable to drive due to medical problems and for a younger generation who are less inclined to get their drivers licenses, self-driving cars could be the answer they are both looking for.

How it Affects You

Gradually self-driving car makers are overcoming the technical challenges of delivering fully autonomous vehicles to the public. Though many challenges remain, positive steps like this one for Tesla will likely encourage companies to continue their pursuit of driverless automobiles.