Tesla outlines 2026 FSD: larger model, reasoning, Robotaxi trial
tesla.com
Tesla targets a 2026 Full Self-Driving with a ~10x larger model, added reasoning and RL, Robotaxi without safety operators in Austin, plans for own AI chips.
Tesla is gearing up to release a new iteration of its Full Self-Driving system, which Elon Musk described as a pivotal milestone on the road to full autonomy. He said the new FSD model is slated for deployment in January or February 2026 and will be roughly an order of magnitude larger than the current version. Such a jump in scale signals a bet that size and data will translate into steadier, more human-like behavior on the road.
The update was flagged during a Q&A at the xAI hackathon. Musk said the challenge of operating without driver oversight is essentially solved, and that in the coming weeks Tesla plans to remove safety operators from its Robotaxi program in Austin. If carried out, even a targeted rollout would read as a strong vote of confidence in the stack’s maturity, with the real proof coming in day-to-day consistency.
The forthcoming FSD is set to add broader reasoning capabilities alongside reinforcement learning. Musk also indicated that to scale models of this magnitude, Tesla may need to build its own AI chips, as he views current infrastructure growth as inadequate. That logic tracks: a larger network typically demands more compute, and consolidating that pipeline could help the company move faster while keeping the focus squarely on real-world performance.
