Tesla's Silent Mode, which allows passengers to black out the screen while resting, has surpassed Cybercab. According to a video posted by Spencer (@scotsrule08) on Thursday, this feature operates during nighttime rides in the Model Y Robotaxi, seemingly in Dallas. The new Silent Mode is now live on @Robotaxi.
Passengers simply need to click a small crescent icon in the bottom right corner of the map screen, causing the map, media player, app shortcuts, and Grok prompts to disappear, leaving the screen black and displaying the "Arriving Soon" destination along with a line of text that reads "Tap to show to exit Silent Mode." Essential control functions, including parking, cabin temperature, volume, and support, remain visible. Tapping anywhere on the screen restores the full map.
Tesla's Silent Mode Launches on Robotaxi, Enhancing Passenger Experience
The Silent Mode first appeared in Cybercab, with Teslarati reporting on this new feature last week, accompanied by a new rearview camera display. Tesla has also reduced cabin noise in other ways. On October 25, Spencer reported that the Robotaxi's turn signals now emit sound during the first four flashes before going silent. Tesla has not released an update regarding these two changes.
Elon Musk has been promoting this use for over a decade. As early as October 2014, he stated, "Maybe in five or six years, we will be able to achieve true autonomous driving, allowing you to literally get in the car, fall asleep, and wake up when you arrive at your destination." By 2017, he set a higher standard. In a TED talk, Musk said that the difficult part is not getting self-driving cars to operate well 99.9% of the time, "because if a car crashes once in a thousand times, you might still not feel safe enough to sleep."
You certainly shouldn't do that."
Owners have also requested similar features in their own vehicles. In December 2019, a Tesla owner requested a nap mode that could keep the climate system running and wake passengers with an alarm, to which Musk replied, "Okay," as reported by Teslarati at the time. This feature reappeared during the launch of Cybercab at the We, Robot event in October 2024. "We will move from supervised full self-driving to unsupervised full self-driving, allowing you to sleep and wake up at your destination."
Musk said.
In Tesla's first-quarter earnings call in April 2025, he called this the definitive standard: "The acid test is whether you can sleep in the car and wake up at your destination. I believe this will be realized in many cities in the U.S. by the end of this year." Since April, Tesla has been conducting driverless Model Y rides in Dallas and Houston, making it a practical reality for passengers to nap on their way home. According to in-app screens shared by tracker Ethan McKanna, Tesla is also offering free first rides for new passengers in these two cities and stated during its third-quarter meeting that Cybercab rides would launch next month in Dallas.