Tesla expands robotaxi hours while tackling nighttime pet-collision risk

Tesla will keep its Austin robotaxis on the road until 11 p.m., up from the previous 10 p.m. cutoff, as part of an effort to address a stealthy safety issue: avoiding pets that are hard to see after dark. Elon Musk posted that the company is focusing on preventing collisions with grey kittens on dimly lit streets, and pointed to AI-assisted camera processing that can count photons to improve night vision. Tesla’s vehicle manuals warn that low or poorly lit environments can limit camera performance, making animals a higher hazard than typical traffic.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating whether Tesla’s camera-only approach meets safety standards for full self-driving. Competitor Waymo uses LiDAR, a laser-based system, and has previously been involved in a fatal cat collision. In September 2025, a Tesla Model Y in the Austin robotaxi fleet hit a dog that ran into the street, though the animal was not injured.