On Sunday, Tesla’s eagerly awaited robotaxi made its street debut in Austin, Texas; however, the launch was far from perfect, posing serious safety issues. A fleet of 10 to 20 Model Y cars were operating within a restricted area during the rollout, which was restricted to a small number of Tesla influencers. Even though there were no significant catastrophes, the incident brought attention to the difficulties that Tesla’s ambitious autonomous driving technology still faces.
Due to worries about the vehicles’ readiness, the launch, which was originally planned for mid-June, was postponed. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, emphasized safety above all else and acknowledged the company’s cautious approach. On June 10, Musk tweeted, “We are being super paranoid about safety,” suggesting that the debut could be further delayed. The company proceeded with the limited launch in spite of these delays, but the cars’ performance on the road soon raised concerns.
One of the Tesla robotaxis reportedly encountered a “significant” malfunction during the event. The car was seen driving on the wrong side of a double yellow line and failing to make a left turn at an intersection in a Reddit video. The incident cast doubt on the vehicle’s autonomous navigation capabilities. The autonomy of the robotaxi may not be as full as claimed, as some commenters hypothesized that a remote operator had stepped in to change the vehicle’s course.
Viewers began to wonder if the cars were actually autonomous or still required human intervention after they noticed that the “safety supervisor” in the passenger seat seemed unconcerned by the error. An apparent emergency stop button was also visible in an influencer’s video, raising doubts that the robotaxi’s self-driving capabilities were a fabrication.
Even though Tesla’s robotaxi might transform transportation, the problems encountered on the first day show that there is still a long and uncertain road ahead.
