# Elon Musk Cites Gray Kittens as Tesla Robotaxi Night Limit

> Tesla's Austin Robotaxi service extends to 11 p.m. after Musk says gray pets on dark pavement remain a night obstacle.
- Title: Elon Musk Cites Gray Kittens as Tesla Robotaxi Night Limit
- Summary: Tesla's Austin Robotaxi service extends to 11 p.m. after Musk says gray pets on dark pavement remain a night obstacle. Tesla's Austin Robotaxi service runs…
- Keywords: elon musk, tesla robotaxi, austin, gray kittens, nighttime visibility, full self-driving, national highway traffic safety administ, cybercab, cars, Elon, Musk, Cites
- Source: Motor1 — https://motor1.com/news/810873/tesla-robotaxi-nighttime-visibility-limits
- Author: Brian Potter
- Published: 2026-10-06T06:47:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: elon musk, tesla robotaxi, austin, gray kittens, nighttime visibility, full self-driving, national highway traffic safety administ, cybercab, cars
## Tesla Robotaxi Austin Service Update
Tesla's Austin Robotaxi service now runs until 11 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. after Elon Musk's October 3 announcement.

> The main thing we are trying to solve is making sure that we do not run over pets when they are hard to see at night.
## Nighttime Visibility Challenge
Musk states gray animals on dark pavement create low-contrast obstacles that cameras struggle to detect at night.

> Literally trying to avoid grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark
## Musk's Camera Vision Claim
Musk says cameras in the visible spectrum can see well in the dark when AI counts photons under ideal conditions.

> Cameras in the visible spectrum can see very well in the dark when the AI is doing the photon count
## Competing Sensor Approaches
Waymo uses 13 cameras, four LiDAR units, and six radars across 4,000 vehicles, while Rivian claims LiDAR costs just a few hundred dollars per vehicle.

> camera vision setups have a safety curve that flattens out way too early
## NHTSA Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 3.2 million Tesla vehicles over Full Self-Driving crashes linked to poor visibility.

> investigating 3.2 million Tesla vehicles over Full Self-Driving crashes tied to poor visibility conditions
## Legal and Safety Concerns
Tesla faces legal questions about Cybercab's lack of steering wheel and pedals, plus a recent bollard crash in Austin.

> the vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals for a human to take over
## Key takeaway

Tesla's Austin Robotaxi service runs until 11 p.m. due to difficulty detecting gray animals against dark pavement at night.