Tesla Begins Offering Robotaxi Rides in Texas as Wedbush Sees Autonomous Opportunities
Tesla (TSLA) started offering rides in its Robotaxis on Sunday in Texas, with Wedbush Securities ana
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CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Tesla robotaxi incidents caught on camera in Austin draw regulators' attention
Tesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos posted on social media showed the company's robotaxis driving in a chaotic manner on public roads in Austin, Texas. Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker debuted autonomous trips in Austin on Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of riders by invitation only. In videos shared widely on social media, one Tesla robotaxi was spotted traveling the wrong way down a road, and another was shown braking hard in the middle of traffic, responding to "stationary police vehicles outside its driving path." A spokesperson for NHTSA said in an e-mail that the agency "is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information." Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy, and regulatory counsel Casey Blaine didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The federal safety regulator says it doesn't "pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems." Instead, automakers certify that each vehicle model they make meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. The agency says it will investigate "incidents involving potential safety defects," and take "necessary actions to protect road safety," after assessing a wide array of reports and information. NHTSA previously initiated an investigation into possible safety defects with Tesla's FSD-Supervised technology, or FSD Beta systems, following injurious and fatal accidents. That probe is ongoing. The Tesla robotaxis in Austin are Model Y SUVs equipped with the company's latest FSD Unsupervised software and hardware. The pilot robotaxi service, involving fewer than two-dozen vehicles, operates during daylight hours and only in good weather, with a human safety supervisor in the front passenger seat. The service is now limited to invited users, who agree to the terms of Tesla's "early access program." Those who have received invites are mostly promoters of Tesla's products, stock and CEO. While the rollout sent Tesla shares up 8% on Monday, the launch fell shy of fulfilling Musk's many driverless promises over the past decade. In 2015, Musk told shareholders Tesla cars would achieve "full autonomy" within three years. In 2016, he said a Tesla EV would be able to make a cross-country drive without needing any human intervention before the end of 2017. And in 2019, on a call with institutional investors that helped him raise more than $2 billion, Musk said Tesla would have 1 million robotaxi-ready vehicles on the road in 2020, able to complete 100 hours of driving work per week each, making money for their owners. None of that has happened. Meanwhile, Alphabet-owned Waymo says it has surpassed 10 million paid trips last month. Competitors in China, including Baidu's Apollo Go, WeRide and are also operating commercial robotaxi fleets.
TechCrunch
an hour ago
- TechCrunch
Tesla's robotaxis have already caught the attention of federal safety regulators
Federal safety regulators have reached out to Tesla a day after the automaker began providing rides in its branded robotaxis in Austin. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted Tesla after numerous videos posted online appear to show Tesla robotaxis violating traffic laws in South Austin, where the company is providing rides to invited customers. Bloomberg was the first to report that NHTSA reached out to Tesla. NHTSA confirmed to TechCrunch that is has contacted the automaker. 'NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information,' the company said in an emailed statement. 'NHTSA will continue to enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment, in accordance with the Vehicle Safety Act and our data-driven, risk-based investigative process. Under U.S. law, NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems – rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA's rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects. Following an assessment of those reports and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety.' On Sunday, Tesla began giving paid rides to invited customers in South Austin. The launch, while limited in size and scope, is the first real test of the automaker's autonomous vehicle technology. Tesla does sell its branded Full Self-Driving Supervised software to owners of its vehicles. FSD handles steering and braking when engaged. However, it is considered an advanced driver assistance system that requires the driver to have their hands on the wheel. Tesla robotaxis are equipped with an unsupervised version of FSD, although the company has not provided specific details about this software. The robotaxis, which customers can hail via an app, are meant to drive on their own. Notably, Tesla robotaxis have a human 'safety monitor' sitting in the front passenger seat during these rides. Videos posted online show the Tesla robotaxis driving over the speed limit and in one case, swerving into the wrong lane. TechCrunch reported Sunday that Ed Niedermeyer, author of 'Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors,' who is in Austin to monitor the robotaxi rollout, took video showing a Tesla branded robotaxi suddenly hitting its brakes on two occasions without reason. A video, which TechCrunch has viewed and has since been posted on YouTube, shows that in both instances the Tesla hit the brakes as it approached police vehicles that were located in parking lots adjacent to the roadway.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tesla could face massive new obstacle as Senate considers controversial new bill: 'Taking away a key element of Tesla's profitability'
Tesla is facing a new potential hurdle, as Senate Republicans have been considering removing an incredibly valuable source of income for the electric vehicle company. According to Forbes, Senate Republicans are considering removing penalties from the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards. These standards of fuel efficiency require car companies to produce a certain number of fuel-efficient vehicles and receive credits when they do. If they fail to meet production standards on fuel efficiency, they can be subject to strict financial penalties. For companies like Tesla, which only produces EVs, these standards are easily passed, and they load up on credits for every vehicle they produce. For companies like Ford, General Motors, and others who still produce combustion engine cars, it's more difficult. So Tesla can sell their credits to other companies to help keep them in compliance with CAFE regulations and avoid costly penalties. For Tesla, these credits represent an opportunity for pure profit. In fact, according to Forbes, the company made $2.67 billion off the credits in 2024 alone. Gutting those regulations would remove a massive, valuable revenue source for Tesla, at a time when it has struggled to generate revenue consistently. "A key element of Tesla's profitability has been its ability to generate credits because it makes zero emissions, and sell those credits to more polluting car companies like GM and Ford and Stellantis — primarily gas-guzzlers that don't really want to make clean cars," Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity, said. "By taking away these credits, they're taking away a key element of Tesla's profitability," he added. But beyond Tesla, removing these penalties from CAFE would essentially remove any teeth from the environmental regulations. There would be no threat to companies that fail to meet the required quotas of efficient vehicles. "It also would essentially turn the CAFE standards into nothing more than a reporting requirement with no consequences for automakers who fail to improve the efficiency of the vehicles they sell," Chris Harto, a senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports, said. The Senate is still deliberating what to do about CAFE regulations; Republicans on the Commerce, Science, and Technology Committee said that removing the penalties could reduce the price of vehicles in the United States, although they did not provide any figures or explain how, and it's unclear if the committee has considered the cost of health care and environmental effects from the resulting pollution should there be fewer EVs replacing gas cars, which are also generally more expensive to maintain and operate. If you care about these environmental regulations (which have been in place since 1975), contact your state senators to push to keep the penalties for non-compliance in place. Do you think EVs are more stylish than gas cars? Definitely No way A few models are Most models are Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
