Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
The news media has expended considerable effort researching and publishing information about the robotaxi business. This channel highlights some of the important articles.
USA Today reports on a study by AAA showing that most Americans do not want to use a self-driving car. Kind of hard to have a multi-billion business when most people are simply not interested.
The Telegraph reports how Britain is upholding their safety standards and not allowing the use of Tesla FSD for now.
elektrec reports that Tesla has been hit by another class action lawsuit, this one in Australia. The lawsuit is due to dangerous braking and also Tesla misrepresenting the capabilities so its "self-driving" system.
Washington Post misleadingly reports that Tesla has taken a significant step towards providing robotaxi service in California. But actually the permit from the CPUC only allows for passengers to use Teslas as a human-driven taxi service. Tesla hasn't even applied for a permit from the DMV to operate driver-less vehicles in California.
Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk will not be partnering with Uber for Tesla's alleged robotaxi rollout.
Washington Post reports that the federal cuts being imposed by Elon Musk and DOGE are cutting the people that regulate robotaxis the most.
CarScoops reports on how Waymo is already having trouble with importing Zeekr EVs, which are intended to replace the Jaguars used for robotaxi service. The Zeekr have already been recalled 3 times for safety issues.
Not A Tesla App absurdly claims that Tesla will be running robotaxi service this June. It is remarkable how Tesla executives continue to lie to the public.
AutoEvolution reports on a study that shows that only some ADAS systems actually improve safety. These useful features include Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), which reduces crash probability by 19.1%. The second most effective safety driving aid was the Driver Monitoring System (DMS), which lowered accident risks by 14%. Finally, we also have Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), with the third-highest crash rate reduction of 10.7%.
Wired reports on how far Elon Musk's reputation has suffered, and how it could easily drag down the entire company with him. This is yet another nail in the coffin for Tesla's robotaxi endeavors.
A Tesla Cybertruck being driven autonomously by FSD does not detect a very large traffic pole and jumps the curb and crashes right into it. This happened immediately in front of an elementary school, that was fortunately closed at the time.
KTLA reports that a Waymo was rear ended by a hit-and-run driver. 3 of the 4 passengers in the Waymo were transported to the hospital due to injuries.
electrek reports that Tesla Board members have recently sold tens of millions of dollars of TSLA stock, indicating that they don't have a huge amount of faith in the future of the company.
The Register reports on key remarks from Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Dara states that robotaxis are inherently expensive and there is not a path forward for successfully commercializing them.
elektrek reports that the head of FSD at Tesla has stated that based on this data FSD still needs a 1,400x further improvement to enable unsupervised self-driving.
