Elon Musk has once again raised eyebrows by saying Tesla is “almost comfortable” with owners texting while the car drives itself. He made the claim while discussing a planned rollout of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, which he says could appear within a couple of months. In his view, the system would manage the driving entirely, leaving the person in the seat free to focus on side tasks.
Right now, Tesla’s cars still operate under SAE Level 2 rules. That means hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and constant readiness to take control. There is no approved path that moves Tesla from Level 2 to Level 3 or 4, where a car can legally operate without human supervision under defined conditions.
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A difficult jump that no regulator has signed off on
Only Mercedes-Benz and BMW have reached Level 3 approval, and even then only in limited regions. Their systems work in slow traffic on specific highways, and drivers may glance away but cannot use handheld devices. Both companies received special government approval for testing and deployment in Germany, California and Nevada.
Tesla has no such regulatory clearance. Texting at the wheel remains illegal across most jurisdictions, including the United States. Unless Tesla secures new laws or exemptions, an “Unsupervised” mode that encourages hands-free, eyes-off behaviour has no legal runway. There is also no evidence that Tesla has engaged regulators on this subject.
The wider context is hard to ignore
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving remains under heavy scrutiny after a string of incidents and investigations. Even with major software overhauls, regulators have repeatedly pushed the company to temper its marketing claims and clarify the system’s limits. Against that backdrop, the idea of allowing drivers to use their phones freely while the car pilots itself feels far removed from practical approval.
Musk has also suggested that Tesla’s upcoming FSD V14.3 could be the version where drivers “fall asleep and wake up at your destination.” That statement came just days after shareholders approved his enormous compensation package, which depends on delivering major autonomy milestones, robotaxi fleets and significant AI-driven revenue.
The timing makes the statement look designed more for investor enthusiasm than regulatory accuracy.
Why full autonomy still faces a long road
Technically, several companies have shown that high-level autonomy is achievable in controlled settings. In China, manufacturers already demonstrate systems capable of advanced hands-off driving. The real barrier remains law, liability, insurance frameworks and public safety thresholds. Governments move slowly on technologies that carry life-and-death consequences, and none have shown a willingness to approve consumer-grade self-driving that encourages distraction.
Until regulators redefine the rules, Tesla’s current plans sit in a space where ambition exceeds what the market, the law and the public are prepared to accept.
