Tesla has been working hard behind the scenes to get its Robotaxi network off the ground. We previously reported that they were in talks with the City of Palo Alto in California. This, combined with potential federal changes from the incoming U.S. Administration means that Tesla is really pushing to make its Robotaxi network a reality in 2025.
Bloomberg now reports that Tesla is in discussions with another city to explore the launch of an autonomous vehicle fleet. This development follows the major announcements made during Tesla’s We, Robot autonomy event in October.
Tesla has been testing the network in San Francisco's Bay Area with its employees and safety drivers, which means that internally, some of the necessary infrastructure is already in place to begin further deployments.
Austin, Texas
Bloomberg reports that Tesla is now in the early stages of the proposal with the city of Austin - the same city that already hosts Giga Texas. Tesla has apparently been in touch with the city’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force since early spring to work on hashing out the proposal.
Austin already has Waymo and Zoox testing their robotaxi services in the city, so Tesla’s Cybercabs or other Tesla vehicles will be an interesting addition to the offerings already available.
The Proposal
The proposal will likely look at safety regulations, initial offerings by Tesla, liability status, and pilot testing the Robotaxi network throughout Austin before it is publicly rolled out. Another topic of discussion was ensuring that the city’s first responders - Firefighters, Paramedics, and Police - would be trained to interact with the vehicles. Tesla held an event in Austin with first responders on December 5th to do the initial set of training and help establish guidelines for the rollout.
We’re excited to see which of the two cities we know about - Austin or Palo Alto - will take the crown for the first public Robotaxi network.
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According to filings found by Kees Roelandschap on X, Tesla has obtained a 2-year exemption from UNECE autonomy regulations to run FSD Supervised on public roads in Norway. This marks one of the first positive developments for regulations and autonomy in Europe — great news for European customers.
Previously, European transportation agencies stressed additional caution and requested more time to legislate, further delaying the widespread UNECE regulation changes for autonomous vehicles.
Norwegian FSD - Employees Only
Following the recent approval from the Norwegian Road Authority, Tesla will be permitted to use its Supervised vehicles on public roads in a testing capacity. This exemption does not yet apply to customers, so we will have to wait and see how testing progresses.
Tesla will specifically be allowed to run FSD V13 and its derivative builds (meaning AI4 vehicles only) with automated steering and speed controls on EU-registered and approved vehicles.
Tesla will also be required to have Tesla-trained drivers (employees) conduct the testing. There is no specific policy in place that enables the use of FSD for customers at this time. However, as testing is conducted and bureaucratic hurdles are overcome across various transportation departments, Tesla may be able to extend the offer to European customers. According to Tesla’s latest earnings call, the company still plans to release FSD in Europe by the end of the year.
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) April 5, 2025
Article 39 Exemption
The UNECE can grant exemptions for innovative technologies that move faster than legislation under Article 39. However, Tesla requires the backing of a national ministry of transport to bring this to the UNECE’s attention. The next round of voting on critical issues is expected on May 12, 2025, which may not leave Tesla much time to present its findings to UNECE.
We don’t expect Tesla to receive authorization immediately. It may take several weeks or months of testing from the Netherlands or Norway teams before one of the two countries is willing to support Tesla’s exemption bid.
However, if Tesla achieves an Article 39 exemption, it could allow Tesla to roll out FSD to customers across Europe, provided there are no country-level exemptions.
Following customer requests, Tesla has once again returned FSD Transfers for North America. This comes after some new details we received on FSD Supervised and Unsupervised at the recent Q1 2025 Earnings Call.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei … FSD Transfer is back
All countries (in NA), all S3XY + @cybertruck (excl Foundation Series & Launch Series)
This latest round of FSD transfers doesn’t have a specific time limit - so if you’re in the market for a new vehicle and were worried about transferring FSD from a HW3 vehicle - now is the best chance.
This transfer opportunity is applicable for any new vehicle purchases, including the Model S, 3, X, Y, as well as the Cybertruck. The only vehicles it doesn’t apply to are the Foundation-Series Cybertruck or a Launch-Series Model Y, which already come with FSD included.
If you’re conducting an FSD transfer, you’ll need to reach out to your Tesla delivery coordinator through the Tesla app to confirm you’re eligible and to get the process started.
Note that once you take delivery, FSD access is removed from your older vehicle, regardless if you plan to trade in your vehicle or keep it.
Canada and Mexico
For those in Canada and Mexico, there’s some good news. This opportunity is available for customers in those countries as well, however, new vehicle orders are currently paused in Canada and Mexico for unknown reasons.
Running Offers
There are also several other offers running in North America, with the country flags indicating which countries their available in:
0% Financing on new Model 3 Orders (60mo, 0.99% for 72mo) 🇺🇸
Deep Blue Metallic and Pearl White are currently free on a new Model 3 Performance 🇺🇸
Original Model Y Owners are receiving $2,000 off the purchase of a Refreshed Model Y 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
Free Supercharging on the Model S and Model X 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
Free Supercharging on the Foundation-Series Cybertruck 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽
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