Austin American Statesman – Tesla reports first Cybercab crash as Austin robotaxi wreck totals increase
See original article by Andrea Guzmán at the Austin American Statesman
Tesla Inc. reported its first-ever Cybercab crash to federal safety regulators just days after the purpose-built robotaxi hit the road.
It was among 24 robotaxi crashes across Texas in the four weeks ending Sept. 15. Nine of them, including the Cybercab crash, occurred in Austin.
Tesla reported eight crashes across the state, three of which were in Austin. Its crash count in the capital city is now 26 since June 2025. Waymo, the industry leader with far more vehicles registered to operate on Texas roads than Tesla, also reported eight crashes, five of which were in Austin. Waymo has reported 140 crashes since June 2025.
Waymo has reported a total of five crashes in San Antonio, including one in the latest data. Waymo said it occurred when a human-driven vehicle turned in front of the robotaxi and was hit. Tesla has not entered the San Antonio market.
Austin-based Avride reported two crashes in the latest data, both of which were in Dallas, keeping Avride’s tally in Austin at 27. Zoox reported one new crash, for a total of four Austin incidents.
According to its report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla said its Cybercab was damaged when it drove at about 5 mph into a large pothole filled with water. The vehicle was occupied by a safety monitor but had no passengers. Lidar scanners, which Tesla robotaxis lack, have been used by other companies to detect such obstacles, scan their surroundings and observe road surfaces and potholes. Tesla robotaxis rely only on video.
Tesla unveiled its Cybercab Sept. 3 in Austin.
In another notable Tesla crash, a Model Y robotaxi without passengers was stopped on a residential street when a remote operator took control to move the vehicle forward, hitting a parked SUV. Tesla and Waymo have declined to answer questions about how frequently their remote operators step in to tele-drive.
Most of the latest crashes resulted only in damage to vehicles, though a Waymo crash in Houston included minor injuries. It happened when a human-driven passenger vehicle spun out of control at an exit offramp, entering the lane the Waymo was in. A test driver transitioned the vehicle into manual mode, braking and maneuvering away from the out-of-control human-driven passenger car. The Waymo vehicle hit the barrier wall and the test driver was transported to the hospital.
Waymo maintains that its performance tops that of a human driver. In its latest safety impact report, it noted that across five major metro service areas including Austin, its vehicles were involved in 841 fewer injury-causing crashes through June 2026 – 82% fewer than the number for comparable miles driven by humans. The Houston incident was a rare crash on a highway or freeway. Just last month, the company began offering rides to customers on such roads.
Other robotaxi players including Waabi, Torc Robotics, PlusAI and May Mobility also reported crashes in the latest data. One crash between a tractor-trailer and a PlusAI autonomous truck, is being investigated by Kyle police.
A PlusAI truck was traveling southbound on a connector ramp at 55 mph in Buda when a white tractor-trailer changed lanes. The tractor-trailer had merged into the lane before fully clearing the PlusAI truck, hitting its driver-side mirror. The safety driver of the PlusAI truck took control of the vehicle and drove to the shoulder. The other vehicle did not stop.
The crash comes as PlusAI is growing its presence in Texas. Earlier this year, it announced a trial for a daily 600-mile route along the I-35 corridor between Laredo and Temple. This month, CEO David Liu spoke at a gathering of autonomous vehicle leaders at Capital Factory in Austin, discussing the public perception of autonomous big rigs and their safety.
“People are still scared of the 18-wheeler trucks. It’s not the same thing (as robotaxis) because we’re talking about 80,000-pound trucks, right? It will take time,” he said. “It’s very, very important for our industry, for our companies to do our part to make sure that our safety record is flawless. Over time, I think the public will be educated; they will be convinced that we do provide a very very good product, that it is safer than what our human drivers can do.”
This article originally published at Tesla reports first Cybercab crash as Austin robotaxi wreck totals increase.
See original article by Andrea Guzmán at the Austin American Statesman
