Tesla robotaxi incidents caught on camera in Austin get NHTSA concern

Tesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos Posted on social networks has shown that company robotaxis was leading chaotic on public roads in Austin, Texas.

Elon Musk The manufacturer of electric vehicles made its debut Austin Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of runners by invitation only.

In largely shared videos online, a Tesla Robotaxi was seen while traveling in a road, and another has been shown hard braking In the middle of traffic, responding to “stationary police vehicles outside of his driving path”, among several other examples.

An NHTSA spokesman said in an email that the agency “was aware of the incidents referenced and was in contact with the manufacturer to collect additional information”.

Tesla, vice-president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, and regulatory lawyer Casey Blaine did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The Federal Security Regulator claims that it does not “pre-apply new technologies or vehicle systems”. Instead, car manufacturers certify that each vehicle model they make meets the federal safety vehicle vehicle standards. The agency claims that it will investigate “incidents involving potential security defects” and will take “the measures necessary to protect road safety”, after having assessed a wide range of reports and information.

The NHTSA previously initiated a investigation In possible security defects with Tesla’s FSD-Supervised technology, or FSD beta systems, following prejudicial and fatal accidents. This probe is underway.

The Tesla Robotaxis in Austin are model WATAs equipped with the latest software and hardware supervised by the company. The Robotaxi pilot service, involving less than two dozen vehicles, works during the hours of clarity and only in good weather, with a human safety supervisor on the front passenger seat.

The service is now limited to guest users, who accept the terms of Tesla’s “early access program”. Those who have received invitations are mainly promoters of the products, stock and CEO of Tesla.

While the deployment sent Tesla Sharing 8% On Monday, the launch fell shy to make the many Musk driverless promises over the past decade.

In 2015, Musk told shareholders that Tesla cars would reach “complete autonomy” within three years. In 2016, he declared that Tesla EV would be able to do a cross-country campaign without the need for human intervention before the end of 2017. And in 2019, On a call with institutional investors This helped him collect more than $ 2 billion, Musk said Tesla would have 1 million vehicles ready for Robotax on the road in 2020, capable of finishing 100 hours of work per week, earning money for their owners.

None of this has happened.

In the meantime, Alphabet-Antnd Waymo said that it exceeded 10 million trips paid last month. Competitors in ChinaIncluding Apollo GO of Baidu, Weride and Pony.ai, also exploit fleets of commercial robotaxies.

WATCH: Tesla Lance Robotaxis in Austin as the Robotaxi breed warms up