Tesla Charges Driverless Robotaxis Manually at Public Superchargers
A single employee plugged in ten autonomous vehicles, including a Cybercab and nine Model Ys, in Austin.
Tesla’s autonomous Robotaxi fleet currently relies on human intervention for charging, with employees manually plugging in driverless vehicles at public Superchargers.
What Happened
A video shared on X by @WorldlyReviewer captured the charging process in Austin, one of Tesla’s active Robotaxi markets. The footage showed ten autonomous vehicles arriving at a Supercharger station: one Cybercab and nine Model Y units, all with no occupants inside. A Tesla employee waited as the vehicles parked themselves, then walked around to plug in each unit manually. The employee also adjusted the position of one car when it failed to park close enough to reach the charging cable. The Cybercab, identifiable by its gold finish, reversed into a stall to align its NACS charge port, which is located behind a drop-down door in the rear bumper.
Why It Matters
This manual charging process highlights the current operational limitations of Tesla’s autonomous service, which has been running for approximately 15 months. While the Cybercab has been part of the fleet since early September, the vehicles cannot yet charge autonomously. The Cybercab specifically lacks an onboard AC charger, meaning it cannot use Wall Connectors or Mobile Connectors and must rely on DC fast chargers. This low-tech approach mirrors the 'scrappy' solutions Tesla employed during the Model 3 production ramp. Tesla’s long-term plan involves wireless inductive charging, for which the company has already secured FCC approval. The planned system uses Bluetooth and Ultra-Wideband radio to guide vehicles into precise alignment, with Tesla claiming efficiency above 90%. Additionally, Tesla is developing private Robotaxi-only charging hubs, including a planned facility in Austin with 80 wireless chargers.
The Bottom Line
Until Tesla’s wireless charging infrastructure is fully deployed, employees will continue to manually plug in Robotaxis at public Superchargers. The current setup supports a fleet of over 300 Cybercabs in Austin across seven active markets, but the lack of automated charging remains a bottleneck for scaling the service.
