News
Tesla with sleeping driver proves there’s still misunderstanding and irresponsibility surrounding autonomy
Update: 11:06 AM EST: Paragraph 7 added to show the probability of the driver having a medical emergency. California Highway Patrol saw the vehicle and noted the driver was awake after catching up to the car.
A Tesla Model Y with a sleeping driver was recently spotted on the I-15 Freeway near Temecula, California, which proves that people and media still have a vast misunderstanding and irresponsible tone regarding the capabilities of semi-autonomous vehicles.
According to a report from KTLA 5, a woman in a Tesla Model Y was followed by another driver for more than fifteen minutes on the California interstate in an attempt to wake the woman who was taking advantage of the automaker’s semi-autonomous driving functions up.
The report and the incident prove there are still huge misunderstandings in the capabilities of semi-autonomous driving suites, including Tesla’s Full Self-Driving and Autopilot, which require users to remain vigilant and be prepared to take over the vehicle at any point.
Drivers utilize semi-autonomous vehicle functionalities irresponsibly often, and social media has proven time and time again that people take advantage of the capabilities, even though they are not fully autonomous.
It is no secret that people and companies have utilized whatever they can to alleviate themselves of the responsibility of paying attention while the car operates some tasks on its own. With the introduction of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) over the past several years, drivers have taken advantage of the functions to instead play on their phones, read books, eat food, or even catch up on sleep.
Tesla’s camera-based driver monitoring system goes through the cellphone test
However, the risks that come with this behavior are potentially catastrophic. For one, those who use these functions irresponsibly put themselves and every other driver on the road at risk because if the vehicle needs assistance or encounters a situation where it would not react safely, the driver is responsible for taking over. Additionally, if an accident occurs, it can be framed as Tesla’s, or any other manufacturer’s fault, depending on the vehicle used, and instances like this can set the future of semi-autonomous and autonomous driving back years due to skepticism.
There is the possibility that the driver had some type of medical emergency or accidentally fell asleep, in which the Tesla’s functionalities kept the operator and others safe. Police stated the driver was caught up to two minutes after receiving calls about the driver, and the driver was attentive at this time.
However, the media’s portrayal of the situation also proves that many are widely uninformed regarding the capabilities of Teslas. While Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite has caused controversy over its name, the automaker continues to remind those who use it to remain vigilant, as the cars cannot truly drive themselves.
In Tesla’s FAQ section of the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving page, the company answers the question, “Do I still need to pay attention while using Autopilot?:”
“Yes. Autopilot is a hands-on driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver. It does not turn a Tesla into a self-driving car nor does it make a car autonomous.
Before enabling Autopilot, you must agree to “keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for your car.” Once engaged, Autopilot will also deliver an escalating series of visual and audio warnings, reminding you to place your hands on the wheel if insufficient torque is applied. If you repeatedly ignore these warnings, you will be locked out from using Autopilot during that trip.
You can override any of Autopilot’s features at any time by steering, applying the brakes, or using the cruise control stalk to deactivate.”
Media labeling the vehicle as “a self-driving Tesla” is a disservice to people and the company. Teslas do not drive themselves, as the vehicles are defined as Level 2, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers Levels of Driving Automation. Level 2 systems reiterate that the driver is still responsible for driving the car when these systems are activated. “You must constantly supervise these support features,” the SAE says. Level 3 to Level 5 systems maintain that the operator is not driving the car, but Level 5 systems are the only ones that are explicitly labeled as “self-driving.”
“This feature can drive the vehicle under all conditions,” the SAE table states.
Credit: Society of Automotive Engineers
Recent ratings by Consumer Reports showed that Tesla’s biggest flaw was driver monitoring. Many systems use cabin-facing cameras to monitor eye behavior to ensure the operator is keeping their eyes on the road. Teslas use a series of audible and visual cues to alert drivers of their inattentiveness, and steering wheel sensors make sure the driver keeps their hands on the wheel.
However, various cheat devices have been marketed across the internet, and in this instance, the driver appears to have their hands on the wheel while they are dozed.
Tesla activated camera-based driver monitoring in May 2021. “The cabin camera above your rearview mirror can now detect and alert driver inattentiveness while Autopilot is engaged,” Tesla said in the notes. Tests of Tesla’s driver monitoring tests showed the system was effective in some instances, especially when looking at cell phones, with alerts coming in 15 seconds.
The potential irresponsibility of users puts major risks to those on the road and the companies that develop these driver assistance programs. While there are workarounds through the previously-mentioned cheat devices, people have to know their irresponsibility could cost them, or others, their lives.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just got pulled into the biggest Weapons Program in U.S. history
SpaceX joins the Golden Dome software group, deepening its role in America’s most expensive defense program.
SpaceX has joined a nine-company group developing the core operating software for the Golden Dome, America’s next-generation missile defense system. According to a Bloomberg report, SpaceX is focused on integrating satellite communications for military operations and is working alongside eight other defense and artificial intelligence companies, including Anduril Industries, Palantir Technologies, and Aalyria Technologies, to build software connecting missile defense capabilities.
The Golden Dome concept dates back to President Trump’s 2024 campaign, and on January 27, 2025, he signed an executive order directing the U.S. Armed Forces to construct the system before the end of his term. The system is planned to employ a constellation of thousands of satellites equipped with interceptors, with data centers in space providing automated control through an AI network.
FCC accepts SpaceX filing for 1 million orbital data center plan
Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome initiative, has described the software layer as a “glue layer” that would enable officers to manage and control radars, sensors, and missile batteries across services. The consortium is aiming to test the platform this summer.
Trump selected a design in May 2025 with a $175 billion price tag, expected to be operational by the end of his term in 2029, though the Congressional Budget Office projected the cost could reach $831 billion over two decades.
The Golden Dome role is only the latest in a string of military wins for SpaceX. As Teslarati reported, the U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $178.5 million task order on April 1, 2026 to launch missile tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency, covering two Falcon 9 launches beginning in Q3 2027. That came on top of more than $22 billion in government contracts held by SpaceX as of 2024, per CEO Gwynne Shotwell, spanning NASA resupply missions, classified intelligence satellites through its Starshield program, and military broadband.
The accumulation of defense contracts, now including a seat at the table on the most expensive weapons program in U.S. history, positions SpaceX as the dominant infrastructure provider for American national security in space. With a SpaceX IPO still on the horizon, each new contract adds weight to what is already one of the most consequential companies in aerospace history, raising real questions about how much of America’s defense architecture will depend on a single private operator before it ever trades publicly.
News
Tesla pulls back the curtain on Cybercab mass production
Tesla’s Cybercab drives itself off the Gigafactory Texas line in a striking new production video.
Tesla has provided a first look from inside a production Cybercab as it drove itself off the assembly line at Gigafactory Texas. The video footage, posted on X, opens on the factory floor with robotic arms and assembly equipment visible through the Cybercab windshield, and follows the car through a branded tunnel marked “Cybercab”, before autonomously navigating itself to a holding lot.
The first Cybercab rolled off the Giga Texas production line on February 17, 2026, with Musk writing on X, “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.” April marked the official shift to volume production. The Giga Texas line is being prepared to produce hundreds of units per week, with 60 units already spotted on the Gigafactory campus earlier this month.
Purpose-built for autonomy
Cybercab in production now at Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/Y9qG3KyWBa
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 23, 2026
The Cybercab was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event in October 2024 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk said he believed the average operating cost would be around $0.20 per mile, and that buyers would be able to purchase one for under $30,000. The two-seat design is deliberate. Musk noted that 90 percent of miles driven involve one or two people, making a compact two-passenger vehicle the most efficient configuration for a fleet-scale robotaxi. Eliminating rear seats also removes complexity and cost, supporting that sub-$30,000 target.
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once several factories reach full design capacity. The Cybercab has no steering wheel, no pedals, and relies entirely on Tesla’s vision-based FSD system. What the video shows is the first evidence of that system working not as a demo, but as a production reality, driving itself off the line and into the world.
🚗 Our first ride in Tesla Cybercab last October: pic.twitter.com/kGqIqgJPRn https://t.co/BITCXFhbVd
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 22, 2025
Elon Musk
Elon Musk talks Tesla Roadster’s future
Elon Musk confirmed the Roadster as Tesla’s last manually driven car, with a debut coming soon.
During Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call on April 22, Elon Musk made a brief but notable comment about the long-awaited next generation Roadster while describing Tesla’s future vehicle lineup. “Long term, the only manually driven car will be the new Tesla Roadster,” he said. “Speaking of which, we may be able to debut that in a month or so. It requires a lot of testing and validation before we can actually have a demo and not have something go wrong with the demo.”
That single statement is the entire Roadster update from yesterday’s call, and while it represents another timeline shift, it comes as no surprise with Tesla heads-down-at-work on the mass rollout of its Robotaxi service across US cities, and the industrial scale production of the humanoid Optimus.
The fact that Musk specifically framed the Roadster as the last manually driven Tesla is significant on its own. As the rest of the lineup moves toward full autonomy, the Roadster becomes something rare in the Tesla-sphere by keeping the driver in control. Driving enthusiasts who buy a $200,000 supercar are not doing so to be passengers. They want the physical connection to the road, the feel of acceleration under their own input, and the experience of controlling something with that level of performance. FSD, however capable it becomes, removes that entirely. The Roadster signals that Tesla understands this distinction and is building a car specifically for the people who consider driving itself the point.
Tesla isn’t joking about building Optimus at an industrial scale: Here we go
The specs for the Roadster Musk has teased over the years are genuinely unlike anything in production. The base model targets 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph, and up to 620 miles of range from a 200 kWh battery. The optional SpaceX package takes it further, rumored to add roughly ten cold gas thrusters operating at 10,000 psi, borrowed directly from Falcon 9 rocket technology. With thrusters, Musk has claimed 0 to 60 mph in as little as 1.1 seconds. In a 2021 Joe Rogan interview he went further, stating “I want it to hover. We got to figure out how to make it hover without killing people.” Tesla filed a patent for ground effect technology in August 2025, suggesting the hover concept has not been abandoned. The starting price remains $200,000, with the Founders Series requiring a $250,000 full deposit. Some reservation holders placed those deposits in 2017 and are approaching a full decade of waiting.
With production now targeted for 2027 or 2028 at the earliest, the Roadster remains Tesla’s most audacious promise and its longest-running delay. But if what Musk is testing lives up to even half of what he has described, the demo alone should be worth waiting for.
Elon Musk says the Tesla Roadster unveiling could be done “maybe in a month or so.”
He said it should be an extraordinary unveiling event. pic.twitter.com/6V9P7zmvEm
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 22, 2026
SpaceX just got pulled into the biggest Weapons Program in U.S. history
Tesla pulls back the curtain on Cybercab mass production
