Musk, teach robot taxis the rules! Tesla's autonomous electric cars create chaos on Austin roads
Tesla's unmanned taxi service started operating on 23 June in Austin (Texas) in a limited mode: 10 to 20 Model Y electric cars will leave from 6:00 to midnight within a specially designated area. According to the company, the cars operate on a Full Self-Driving (FSD) system without a driver, but with a person in the passenger seat to monitor safety.
Here's What We Know
Just 24 hours after the test began, the U.S. Highway Safety Agency (NHTSA) requested Tesla's records and telemetry. The reason - videos from the streets of Austin, on which Robotaxi violate the rules: driving into the oncoming lane, speeding, stopping in wrong places, including in front of police cars.
Reddit and X users started publishing videos of the incidents:
- a car failed to recognise a UPS truck and drove outside the carriageway;
- one of the electric cars exceeded the speed limit by 5 mph;
- incidents of sudden braking for no reason were recorded;
- a vehicle reacted inappropriately to road shadows and kerbs.
Despite this, no accidents or injuries were reported.
The reaction of the authorities followed immediately: NHTSA began an investigation into the situations, and the authorities of Texas proposed to temporarily limit the operation of the FSD system and postpone further expansion of the Robotaxi programme until at least September 1.
Recall, Tesla is actively promoting the idea of autonomous taxis and plans to expand the project to dozens of US cities. The company says that by 2027 intends to launch its own vehicle with the name Cybercab, but the incidents in Austin may slow down these plans.
Against this backdrop, competitor Waymo (owned by Alphabet) has already completed more than 10 million driverless journeys with far fewer incidents. This calls into question Tesla's readiness for a mass launch of autonomous transport.
Source: Bloomberg
