Tesla’s first day of robotaxi service in Austin, Texas appeared to go off without a disastrous hitch. However, federal safety regulators are looking into situations where the vehicles may have broken local traffic laws.
Tesla’s first day of robotaxi service went off without a hitch, but federal safety investigators have questions.
Everyone from Tesla fan boys to ever-present naysayers watched the debut of Tesla’s first 10 Model Y robotaxis make their debut as cars-for-hire on the streets of Austin, Texas. While no accidents were reported, the day wasn’t as clean as it could have been.
“Super congratulations to the @Tesla_AI software & chip design teams on a successful,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after day one was complete. “@Robotaxi launch!! Culmination of a decade of hard work. Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.”
Not so fast
Again, no injuries or collisions were reported. However, there were alleged moments when the vehicles broke the law. Those moments were captured on video, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has contacted company officials about the incidents to gather additional information.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted Tesla officials about potential violations of the law.
“Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety,” the agency said on Monday.
Some of the videos in question were shot by social media influencers and investors. Rob Maurer, an investor who also used to host a Tesla podcast, recorded while riding in one of the robotaxis. At one point, the vehicle he was in entered an intersection in a left-turn-only lane, then hesitated to complete the left turn. Instead, it proceeded into an unoccupied lane meant for traffic moving in the opposite direction.
As other drivers honked their disapproval, the Tesla moved back into the correct lane over a double-yellow line, which drivers aren’t supposed to cross.
In two other posts on X, riders in driverless Model Ys shared footage of Teslas speeding. Sawyer Merritt, another Tesla investor who shares his largely pro-Tesla views on social media, rode in a Model Y that reached 35 mph shortly after passing a 30-mph speed limit sign, according to a video he posted.
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Good, but not perfect
Merritt spent a substantial amount of time in several different Tesla robotaxis. He recorded often, and basically issued a stamp of approval on the experience.
Tesla’s 10 robotaxis hit the streets in Austin, Texas, much to the delight of the company’s supporters.
“That’s a wrap! In the last 36 hours, I’ve taken a total of 20 @Tesla Robotaxi rides and traveled 92 miles. No interventions, no critical safety issues,” he posted on X.
“All my rides were smooth and comfortable. Thank you, Tesla, for letting me be a part of this experience — and congrats to the whole team on launching the first paid Robotaxi rides! This is the start of a new era. The Robotaxi app is great.”
Herbert On, a YouTuber, noted the vehicle he was in was exceeding the speed limit, doing 39 in a 35, but noted that it was “driving as the same flow of traffic.” Another video showed to riders pressing a button to indicate they want the vehicle to pull over, but it was unresponsive. Then instead of pulling over to the side of the road, it stopped in the middle of the street.
Make it better
However, he later offered more details about his time in the vehicles, where he was more critical of specific aspects of the robotaxi experience. He noted meeting up with the robotaxi was not smooth. Often the vehicle did not show up where the app said it would be, requiring him to walk “a bit of distance” to get in the vehicle.
Driving at night was not problematic, according to riders in Tesla’s new robotaxis.
“They need to enable us to drop a pin within the geofenced area for more precise destination choice,” he wrote on X.
“Sometimes the app wouldn’t let us get picked up at certain destinations on the edge of the geofenced area, even though we were still within the geofence. You can’t click a destination on the map in the app, so you have to type name of the place in or the actual address, which can be annoying.
“Sometimes you can’t see the service area when you are far away from the actual service area. The app only shows your most recent 10 rides. I can no longer see my ride history for rides older than that.”
However, he also noted there were no “issues with the rides themselves.” He added if there were problems, he would be “vocal” about them. In all, he said he took 20 rides throughout the course of the day.
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