Tesla’s Robotaxi service getting closer to around-the-clock operation.
Tesla Vice President of AI Ashok Elluswamy recently said on social media that 24-hour Robotaxi service could arrive “around next month,” provided the next technology milestone on the FSD V15 roadmap is fully integrated.
Tesla’s paid Robotaxi service currently operates about 16 hours a day across Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. If development stays on schedule, the next step could be extending service through the remaining overnight hours and moving toward full 24/7 operation.
Robotaxi Service Could Expand Into Overnight Hours Around October
Elluswamy made the comment in response to a question about when Tesla’s Robotaxi service could begin operating around the clock.
His answer tied the expansion directly to the next stage of FSD V15 integration, suggesting that 24-hour service could become possible once that technology is in place.
Tesla’s unsupervised Robotaxi service currently operates in parts of Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, with primary service hours running roughly from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Extending Robotaxi service deeper into the night would introduce a more demanding operating environment.
Compared with daytime driving, nighttime conditions can include lower ambient light, glare from headlights and more variable traffic behavior. For an unsupervised Robotaxi, those conditions place greater demands on perception, decision-making and safe path planning.
Tesla is also building out the infrastructure needed to support longer fleet operating hours. Robotaxis are already using public Supercharger stations at night, while the company is developing dedicated charging facilities for its autonomous fleet.
FSD V15 Scales Up to 10 Billion Parameters
FSD V15 is built around a neural network with roughly 10 billion parameters, up from about 1 billion parameters in the previous generation. As Tesla’s AI models continue to grow in scale, the company is also advancing its next-generation AI hardware. The AI5 chip has entered trial production at Samsung’s Texas fab.
In simple terms, parameters are the adjustable values an AI model uses during training to learn how to recognize and respond to different driving situations. A larger model gives the system more capacity to represent complex patterns and handle a wider range of scenarios.
Consider a Robotaxi driving at night with a pedestrian ahead, parked cars along the curb, oncoming headlights and another vehicle changing lanes nearby.
The car has to do more than identify each object. It also needs to estimate how those objects are likely to move, understand how they may interact and respond quickly enough to maintain a safe path.
A larger model gives the system more capacity to process those kinds of complex driving situations.
Tesla’s AI team has said FSD V15 is focused on several areas, including earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction times, improved safety and better collision avoidance.
FSD V15 Is Already Running in Tesla’s Robotaxi Fleet
FSD V15 has already entered early testing within Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet, while consumer vehicles are still primarily running FSD (Supervised) V14.
One important difference is that Tesla directly operates the Robotaxi fleet. The company controls the vehicles, service areas and software deployment, giving it a more centralized environment for testing new FSD builds and continuing integration based on real-world fleet performance.
During Tesla’s second-quarter earnings call, Elluswamy said FSD V15 includes seven major development areas, with roughly 40% of them already integrated. Some Robotaxi vehicles are now running early V15 builds, while the remaining technologies are still being developed and incorporated.
In other words, the version currently running on Robotaxis represents only part of the broader V15 package. The full system is still being rolled out in stages.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Fleet Is Entering a New Phase
Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet currently includes both Cybercab and Model Y-based Robotaxis.
For now, Model Y remains the primary workhorse of the fleet. Tesla’s unsupervised Model Y Robotaxis have now accumulated more than 1 million miles, a sharp increase from the roughly 380,000 miles reported during the company’s second-quarter earnings call.
Cybercab has also recently begun carrying passengers in Austin, adding a second vehicle platform to Tesla’s commercial Robotaxi operations.
Compared with the Model Y fleet, which has already accumulated substantial real-world mileage, Cybercab is in the early stages of passenger service.
Both platforms are ultimately expected to run FSD V15.
If Tesla extends Robotaxi operating hours as planned, the fleet will be undergoing two major changes at the same time: adding new vehicle platforms and expanding the daily operating window.
FSD V15 is set to become one of the core software foundations supporting that next stage of Tesla’s Robotaxi rollout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: When will FSD V15 be released?
Tesla has not confirmed a public release date for FSD V15. The update is expected to arrive as the next major FSD generation, while early V15 builds are already being tested in Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet.
Q2: Will FSD V15 Be Unsupervised?
Not necessarily. Tesla has not confirmed that FSD V15 will be released as an unsupervised system for customer-owned vehicles. Tesla’s consumer FSD system is still officially offered as FSD (Supervised), which requires active driver supervision.
FSD V15 is expected to bring significant improvements in AI capabilities, and early V15 builds are already being tested in Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet. However, the software version itself does not determine whether a vehicle can operate without driver supervision. Unsupervised driving would also depend on Tesla’s validation process and regulatory approval in each market.
Q3: What Is FSD V15?
FSD V15 is expected to be Tesla’s next major generation of Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. It features a much larger AI model, with roughly 10 billion parameters, compared with about 1 billion in the previous generation.
Tesla says V15 is focused on improvements such as earlier hazard prediction, faster response times, improved safety and better collision avoidance. Early V15 builds are already being tested in Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet, although Tesla has not yet confirmed a public release date for the full V15 update.