Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
The robotaxi companies have been more than just a bit misleading to both the public and the regulators. Untruths or downright lies? You decide…
GM Authority reports that the Cruise saga is not yet over. GM and Cruise are being sued for misrepresenting AV advancements, in particular, having achieved level 4 autonomy.
Seeking Alpha reports on how Wells Fargo warns that their stock could fall by 50% after pathetically low deliveries are announced. Plus they are very skeptical about the June Cybercab rollout.
Predictions are only predictions if they are both explained and recorded. So this is official prediction of Tesla tanking in June 2025.
electrek reports on how the purported Tesla launch of ‘unsupervised full self-driving’ in June is simply yet another empty promise. Tesla doesn't have the technology. And they are hiring teleoperation folks to get their cars out of the inevitable problematic situations they will encounter.
electrek reports on how Tesla has had to remove "Full Self Driving" and "Autopilot" terms from the products it sells in China, given that they are patently not true. Also noteworthy that Chinese human drivers are receiving tickets for bad driving when the use the Tesla driver assist features.
A great deal of ink has been spilled (pixels have been pushed??) on how Tesla received first of the permits needed to run a robotaxi service. Fanboys got excited! But this permit has absolutely nothing to do with robotaxis. It simply is a permit to run an app-based Uber like system with human drivers. This is of course not something that Tesla actually plans on doing. Therefore it is a complete nothing of an announcement. Thankfully TechCrunch clarifies the situation.
electrek reports on a truly wild YouTube video by Mark Roper showing that without LiDAR that the Tesla's completely miss detecting objects in the middle of the road. And please, a moment of silence for the multiple mannequins that were completely demolished by the Tesla.
electrek reports on statements be Waymo ex-CEO John Krafcik on how Tesla isn't even trying to create a viable robotaxi. If they were, the design of the "cybercab" would be very different.
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.
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.
electrek reports on how it isn't just his video game playing skills that Elon lies about. Elon has continued to mislead investors and the public on how well FSD is working. Tesla makes claims only with respect to highway driving, and won't release the data needed to fully understand the issue. Meanwhile, crowd-sourced data shows that FSD improvements have been quite small, sometimes with big regressions, and that Tesla is nowhere near being able to provide a truly autonomous driving system needed for robotaxis.
SF Gate reports how Jesse Lyu was using Tesla FSD when it drove him right onto some streetcar tracks with a streetcar not to far behind him. And yes, Jesse Lyu ironically is the CEO of Rabbit, the creators of the Rabbit R1, one of the worst reviewed AI gadgets of 2024. Perhaps AI really isn't all there yet, you think?
WSJ reports on how Tesla stock capitalization has been completely disassociated from the business of selling cars. Instead, it is predicated on the myth that they are an AI, robotaxi, and robotics company given that their car sales are actually in decline. Ironically, after this article was published Tesla stock rose over 6%.
Barrons falsely reports that Tesla robotaxis will be much cheaper because they will have half the parts. But the stock market loves the story!
