Tesla's robotaxis had multiple driving mistakes in first test, videos show
A first public test of robotaxis by Tesla in Texas led to multiple traffic problems and driving issues, videos from company-selected riders showed over the first few days.
Chief executive Elon Musk has tied Tesla's financial future to self-driving technology, and with Tesla sales down, the stakes are high.
He said Tesla would roll out the service to other US cities later this year and predicted "millions of Teslas" operating "fully autonomously" by the second half of next year.
The Tesla fans invited to the trial were strongly supportive and posted videos of hours of trouble-free driving, but issues drew questions from federal road safety regulators and auto safety experts.
Issues included Tesla robotaxis entering the wrong lane, dropping passengers off in the middle of multiple-lane roads or at intersections, sudden braking, speeding and driving over a curb.
In one instance, a robotaxi drove into a lane meant for oncoming traffic for about six seconds. It had pulled into an intersection in its left-turn lane with its indicator on. Then the steering wheel wobbled momentarily, and instead of turning, it proceeded straight into the lane meant for oncoming traffic, prompting a honk from a car behind it.
In another incident, the car suddenly braked with no obstruction apparent in the video. The passenger jerked forward and their belongings were thrown to the floor.
In a third video, taken from another vehicle, a robotaxi abruptly stopped twice in the middle of the road while passing police vehicles with flashing lights.
"This is awfully early to have a bunch of videos of erratic and poor driving," said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor and autonomous-technology expert.
I was not expecting as many videos of problematic driving on the very first day.
Tesla is testing about 10 to 20 robotaxis, which are standard Model Ys with advanced software, and has been operating since Sunday afternoon.
Reuters was able to independently verify the locations of at least 11 videos showing issues. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
The incidents caught on camera did not involve accidents, and one expert said some reflected a decision to focus on safety.
"So far so good. It handled the situations very well and likely better than even good drivers," Alain Kornhauser, Princeton University professor of operations research and financial engineering, said by email. He added it would be more dangerous to drive at less than the speed of prevailing traffic, for instance.
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Tesla's robotaxis had multiple driving mistakes in first test, videos show
A first public test of robotaxis by Tesla in Texas led to multiple traffic problems and driving issues, videos from company-selected riders showed over the first few days. Chief executive Elon Musk has tied Tesla's financial future to self-driving technology, and with Tesla sales down, the stakes are high. He said Tesla would roll out the service to other US cities later this year and predicted "millions of Teslas" operating "fully autonomously" by the second half of next year. The Tesla fans invited to the trial were strongly supportive and posted videos of hours of trouble-free driving, but issues drew questions from federal road safety regulators and auto safety experts. Issues included Tesla robotaxis entering the wrong lane, dropping passengers off in the middle of multiple-lane roads or at intersections, sudden braking, speeding and driving over a curb. In one instance, a robotaxi drove into a lane meant for oncoming traffic for about six seconds. It had pulled into an intersection in its left-turn lane with its indicator on. Then the steering wheel wobbled momentarily, and instead of turning, it proceeded straight into the lane meant for oncoming traffic, prompting a honk from a car behind it. In another incident, the car suddenly braked with no obstruction apparent in the video. The passenger jerked forward and their belongings were thrown to the floor. In a third video, taken from another vehicle, a robotaxi abruptly stopped twice in the middle of the road while passing police vehicles with flashing lights. "This is awfully early to have a bunch of videos of erratic and poor driving," said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor and autonomous-technology expert. I was not expecting as many videos of problematic driving on the very first day. Tesla is testing about 10 to 20 robotaxis, which are standard Model Ys with advanced software, and has been operating since Sunday afternoon. Reuters was able to independently verify the locations of at least 11 videos showing issues. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The incidents caught on camera did not involve accidents, and one expert said some reflected a decision to focus on safety. "So far so good. It handled the situations very well and likely better than even good drivers," Alain Kornhauser, Princeton University professor of operations research and financial engineering, said by email. He added it would be more dangerous to drive at less than the speed of prevailing traffic, for instance. Read More Tesla shares soar after first robotaxi rides hit the road
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