The NHTSA wants more information on Tesla's 'Elon Mode'
MKBHD/Twitter
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is again focusing on Tesla, demanding extensive data on the company's driver assistance and monitoring systems, focusing on a previously undisclosed configuration known as 'Elon Mode.'
What is 'Elon Mode'?
We first told you about Elon Mode after Tesla hacker @greentheonly discovered it and let the world know about it on Twitter - yes, it was still called Twitter back then. This special, hidden configuration in Tesla's software eliminates the alerts or 'nags' prompting drivers to apply torque to the steering wheel.
NHTSA's Concerns
According to Reuters and CNBC, the NHTSA has expressed concerns about the potential safety implications of this configuration and has issued a special order to Tesla, demanding detailed information about this mode and the number of drivers who have access to it. NHTSA fears that the relaxation of controls designed to ensure driver engagement could lead to greater driver inattention and failure to supervise Autopilot properly.
This is not the first time the NHTSA has raised concerns about Tesla's 'nag.' In January, Musk responded to a tweet from @WholeMarsBlog asking users with more than 10,000 FSD miles driven to have the option to disable the “tedious steering wheel nag.” Musk responded, "Agreed, update coming in Jan."
That didn't sit well with the acting head of the NHTSA, Ann Carlson, who told reporters, “A very extensive investigation ongoing... We are in conversations with Tesla about this latest communication."
Earlier this week, Carlson announced that the findings of an intensive two-year probe into Tesla's Autopilot system would be public "relatively soon." The NHTSA's ongoing investigation focuses on more than a dozen crashes involving stationary emergency vehicles. Carlson spoke about driver assistance systems in general, "It's really important that drivers pay attention. It's also really important that driver monitoring systems take into account that humans over-trust technology."
Moving Forward
While Tesla has complied with NHTSA's request for information, the response has been granted confidential treatment and is not publicly available. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how Tesla will address these concerns and what actions will be taken to ensure the safety of its driver assistance systems.
Tesla has been in talks with the NHTSA and is hopeful for an agreement that satisfies both parties. Transitioning to better driver monitoring by leveraging their cabin camera and machine learning could be a way forward, reducing the need to 'nag' drivers while improving monitoring.
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Tesla signaled its intention to launch its first Robotaxi network in Austin, Texas, with company-owned and operated vehicles, back in January. This network will be Tesla’s first foray into truly autonomous vehicles - ones that aren’t being directly supervised by a driver. Later in February, Tesla’s executive team confirmed that the plans were on track for the launch of the Austin network both on X and during several interviews that they participated in.
At the end of February, we also found out that Tesla has applied for a Supervised Robotaxi license in California, where the network will also launch, but with safety drivers in place.
This is an ambitious plan, but FSD has really come a long way in the past year. FSD V12 was a massive step forward from V11, and V13 has made the experience smoother and safer than ever before. FSD V14 is expected to be another big step up with auto-regressive transformers and audio input.
Still on Track
Now, Elon has tripled down on the fact that Tesla will be launching their first autonomous robotaxi network in Austin - just two months away at this point. It seems that Tesla is fully set to launch their first fully unsupervised self-driving vehicles that will carry paying passengers in June.
Additional Cities
The best part is that Elon also confirmed that they’re targeting robotaxi networks launching in many cities within the United States by the end of this year. However, remember that this will be a Tesla-run network at first - Tesla owners won’t be able to add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet right away.
Adding Customer Vehicles
It will take some time before Tesla meets their strict internal safety requirements before it lets customers add their own vehicles to the network. Tesla’s executive team mentioned that they intend to let owners add their own vehicles to the fleet sometime in 2026. This happens to be the same time frame that Tesla plans to launch the Robotaxi across the United States, Mexico, and Canada — something that could only be done with customer-owned cars.
That final step will be bold—and it may come with complications, especially given that autonomous vehicle approval spans municipal, state or provincial, and even federal levels. There are plenty of regulatory hurdles ahead, but this is undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the most exciting times for Tesla.
Launch Event
With the Robotaxi network launching and Unsupervised FSD just around the corner, there’s a lot to get excited about. Tesla is expected to host a launch event at Gigafactory Texas in Austin to mark the debut of its first Robotaxi network. The company previously hinted that referral code users could receive invites—offering a rare chance to score an early ride in a Robotaxi outside the Hollywood studio lot.
Tesla’s engineering mule vehicles—used to test autonomy for future platforms—have resurfaced after an extended absence. The last time we saw them was back in July, when Tesla was gearing up for its initial We, Robot event. Since then, sightings have been scarce.
These vehicles typically signal that Tesla is testing new camera placements or validating FSD ground-truth data. This time, however, they appear to be outfitted exclusively with the updated camera hardware seen on the Cybercab.
New Sightings
The mules have now been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, and Concord, New Hampshire—their first known appearances this far east. This suggests Tesla is actively collecting data to evaluate and optimize FSD performance in new regions. Thanks to Reddit user Ready_Medium_6693 for catching the one in Concord.
Elon Musk recently mentioned that Tesla plans to expand Robotaxi networks beyond the initial Texas and California launches. So while these sightings aren’t entirely unexpected, the speed of their arrival is. It suggests Tesla is confident in its ability to train FSD for local traffic rules and driving behaviors to the point it no longer needs a driver.
Bumper Cameras
The vehicle that’s been spotted in Boston is the usual Tesla engineering Model 3… except with one unique twist. It includes a front bumper camera. Shout out to @Dylan02939106 for catching the bumper camera in these photos.
The Refreshed Model 3 Mule with a Bumper Camera!
@Dylan02939106 on X
We previously released an opinion piece regarding whether the front bumper camera would be required for Unsupervised FSD. In our eyes, Tesla will require a bumper camera for Unsupervised FSD - if only to improve direct visibility in the bumper area of the vehicle. This is key for low-speed maneuvering in crowded areas like parking lots and garages, as well as for key features like Actually Smart Summon.
It isn’t surprising that Tesla is continuing to evaluate vehicles with a bumper camera - the Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Refreshed Model Y all have them now - and the rest of the lineup, including the flagship Model S and X, as well as the refreshed Model 3 - were supposed to eventually receive them as well.
With the Model S and Model X set for refreshes this year—and the front bumper camera on this Model 3 looking well-integrated rather than a temporary setup—it seems likely that front bumper cameras will soon become standard across Tesla’s entire lineup.
The Robotaxi Mule in Boston
@Dylan02939106 on X
In fact, Tesla’s newest iteration of the FSD computer has a slot for the Bumper Camera on all AI4/HW4 vehicles, so a future retrofit could even be possible.
These are some pretty exciting times - we may see Robotaxi networks actually deploy in time for Tesla’s lofty goal of “sometime in 2026” for cities throughout North America. Once many American cities begin to accept their deployment, it will be easier to seek homologation in Mexico and Canada, enabling deployment throughout the continent.
