Tesla Robotaxis Driven Erratically on Texas Streets Captured on Video

Concerns Arise Over Tesla’s Robotaxi Service in Austin

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reached out to Tesla after a video surfaced on social media that shows unusual driving behaviors from its Robotaxis in Austin, Texas.

According to reports, the recent launch of Tesla’s Robotaxi service in Austin has drawn federal attention due to several incidents that were recorded and shared widely. The NHTSA has requested more details from Tesla concerning these occurrences, which have brought up questions about the safety and reliability of Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.

A video that went viral on Monday depicted Tesla’s Robotaxis acting inconsistently on the streets. In one scene, a vehicle was seen traveling on the wrong side of the road instead of turning left, while other cars abruptly braked in the midst of traffic upon noticing a stationary police vehicle that wasn’t directly in their path. These incidents have raised alarms among both the public and regulatory bodies closely examining Tesla’s latest moves in driverless tech.

Tesla’s Robotaxi pilot program currently operates a fleet of about 10-20 Model Y vehicles equipped with the most advanced self-driving software and hardware. To enhance safety, each vehicle is monitored by a human safety observer in the passenger seat. This service is designed to run during the day and under favorable weather conditions, and only a select group of riders are able to access it, paying a fixed fare of $4.20 per trip.

Interestingly, despite these concerns, Tesla’s introduction of the Robotaxi service led to an 8% increase in the company’s share price on Monday. However, this launch does not live up to CEO Elon Musk’s past promises regarding full autonomy—promises that date back several years. For instance, Musk asserted in 2015 that Tesla would achieve “full autonomy” within three years, and in 2016, he stated that Tesla vehicles would be able to make coast-to-coast trips without human input by the end of 2017.

While Tesla grapples with these challenges, rivals like Alphabet’s Waymo and Baidu’s Apollo have made notable strides in the commercial Robotaxi sphere. Recently, Waymo announced that it had successfully completed over 10 million paid rides with its Robotaxis.