Tesla owners have discovered a surprising geographic restriction in the company’s Early Access FSD Program that suggests preparations for the upcoming Robotaxi service are well underway. Tesla appears to be quietly prioritizing Texas-based vehicles for its latest autonomous driving features.
Numerous Tesla FSD subscribers have reported an unexpected pattern on social media platform X: vehicles located in Texas—or those that temporarily entered the state—found themselves automatically enrolled in the Early Access FSD Program. More tellingly, these same vehicles lost their early access privileges immediately upon crossing state lines.
Tesla limits Early Access FSD Program to Texas vehicles
This geographic limitation has caught the attention of Tesla watchers, as Texas represents more than just another market for the company. Since relocating its headquarters to the Lone Star State, Tesla has increasingly centered its autonomous driving operations there.
The Texas-specific Early Access FSD Program strongly correlates with Tesla’s announced CyberCab Robotaxi pilot scheduled to launch in June. Industry analysts believe Tesla is strategically collecting location-specific driving data throughout Texas to refine its autonomous systems before the Cybercab Robotaxi rollout.
This isn’t random. Tesla needs high-quality, geographically targeted data to make the Robotaxi launch successful. What we’re seeing is essentially a focused testing phase.
The Early Access FSD Program appears to function differently than previous Tesla software releases. Instead of the typical opt-in beta testing approach, this program automatically enrolls eligible vehicles based on location.
This raises questions about whether the Early Access FSD Program represents a shift toward unsupervised FSD testing. While Tesla hasn’t officially confirmed if these Texas-based vehicles are operating with reduced human oversight requirements, the connection to Cybercab Robotaxi development suggests advanced capabilities.
For Tesla owners outside Texas hoping to access the latest FSD features, it seems the fastest route might just be a road trip to the Lone Star State—though your car’s advanced capabilities might hit the brakes once you cross back over state lines.
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