Tesla's Full Self-Driving software version 13 has completed its first uninterrupted coast-to-coast drive across the United States, travelling from Los Angeles to New York without any human intervention.
The 2,800-mile journey took 41 hours of driving time across five days, with scheduled charging stops. A safety driver was present but did not touch the steering wheel or pedals at any point during the drive.
CEO Elon Musk called the achievement 'the most significant milestone in the history of autonomous driving.' However, experts note that a single successful trip does not demonstrate the reliability needed for regulatory approval of truly driverless operation.
Tesla submitted the data from the trip to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as part of its ongoing application for Level 4 autonomous driving certification. The company expects a decision by Q3 2026.
The competitive implications are significant. Waymo, which already operates a driverless taxi service in several US cities, has never attempted a coast-to-coast drive. Musk suggested this demonstrates Tesla's approach — training on billions of miles of real-world data — is superior to Waymo's geofenced approach.