Tesla Makes First Fully Autonomous Consumer Delivery

Tesla completed its first fully autonomous delivery of a Model Y, with the vehicle traveling from the Austin Gigafactory to a customer's home—covering highways and city streets over approximately 30 minutes—without any human or remote operator. CEO Elon Musk announced the milestone a day ahead of his previously promised date, characterizing it as an industry first for public consumer deliveries on public highways. The achievement comes after Tesla's recent robotaxi rollout in Austin, which has encountered safety concerns and regulatory scrutiny due to reported incidents. While competitors like Waymo and Aurora have previously operated fully driverless vehicles on highways, their deployments have mostly involved employees or freight, not consumer deliveries. Tesla shared a video documenting the delivery, demonstrating the vehicle navigating various road conditions independently. The event is seen as a significant step for Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology, though questions remain about its reliability, regulatory acceptance, and readiness for wider deployment.