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Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Tesla's robotaxi peppered with driving mistakes in Texas tests
* HT Image Traffic problems, driving mistakes feature in Tesla's robotaxi - passenger videos * Robotaxis entered wrong lane, dropped passengers off in the middle of roads among other issues * Problems show limitations of Tesla's self-driving software - safety expert * Driverless vehicle rivals Waymo and Cruise also faced issues in their rollouts By Abhirup Roy, Rachael Levy and Chris Kirkham June 25 (Reuters) - A first public test of robotaxis by Tesla in Austin, 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 U.S. 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 6 seconds. It had pulled into an intersection in its left-turn lane with its turn blinker 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. Tesla is conducting the test with human safety monitors in the front passenger seat. A fourth video showed the safety monitor hitting a button to stop the robotaxi when a delivery truck in front of it started backing up. "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," he said. Tesla is testing about 10 to 20 robotaxis, which are standard Model Ys with advanced software, and has been giving rides 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. A City of Austin spokesperson said officials are aware of the Tesla issues documented on social media and that "when a potential legal or safety concern is brought to our attention, we promptly share it with the company." The spokesperson added that the police department is "actively collaborating with Tesla" to ensure officers can safely interact with the robotaxis. 'CAUGHT ON CAMERA' 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 that it would be more dangerous to drive at less than the speed of prevailing traffic, for instance. Tesla's experiment is unusually public. Other companies faced similar issues: Alphabet's Waymo and General Motors' Cruise had their own share of traffic mishaps after showing up on Austin streets. City officials logged dozens of instances over the past two years where residents and authorities reported that robotaxis blocked traffic by stopping in the middle of roads, failed to respond to police directions and could not deal with emergency vehicles and road closures. A serious accident involving a pedestrian in 2023 led Cruise to shut down last year. Waymo is the only robotaxi service in the U.S. to ferry paying customers without a human backup driver or in-car safety monitor. It started offering rides to the general public through Uber in Austin earlier this year. Musk for years has failed to deliver on promises that self-driving Teslas are just around the corner. Tesla rolled out the service for a flat fee of $4.20 to a limited number of handpicked riders. The service is not available to the broader public and the robotaxis operate in a limited area, and avoid difficult intersections and bad weather. Riders were rarely bothered much by driving issues. Farzad Mesbahi, a former Tesla program manager, and his co-passenger hit the "drop off early" option during a ride. The vehicle stopped in an intersection with a stoplight, his video showed. They exit quickly and walk to the sidewalk. "The car should have known to not stop there," Mesbahi is heard saying after the ride. "Opportunities for improvement," the co-passenger says. That is an example "most companies would not be comfortable with," said Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, adding that she was surprised by the traffic mistakes. "Dropping off people in the middle of a six-lane road or edge of a busy intersection when the traffic is going in the opposite direction is pretty dangerous. They definitely did not want to do this or be caught on camera," she said. (Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco, Rachael Levy in Washington and Chris Kirkham in Los Angeles; Additional reporting Inaki Malvido, Fernando Robles and Richa Singh; by Editing by Peter Henderson and Nick Zieminski)
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla's robotaxi peppered with driving mistakes in Texas tests
By Abhirup Roy, Rachael Levy and Chris Kirkham (Reuters) -A first public test of robotaxis by Tesla in Austin, 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 U.S. 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 6 seconds. It had pulled into an intersection in its left-turn lane with its turn blinker 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. Tesla is conducting the test with human safety monitors in the front passenger seat. A fourth video showed the safety monitor hitting a button to stop the robotaxi when a delivery truck in front of it started backing up. "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," he said. Tesla is testing about 10 to 20 robotaxis, which are standard Model Ys with advanced software, and has been giving rides 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. A City of Austin spokesperson said officials are aware of the Tesla issues documented on social media and that "when a potential legal or safety concern is brought to our attention, we promptly share it with the company." The spokesperson added that the police department is "actively collaborating with Tesla" to ensure officers can safely interact with the robotaxis. 'CAUGHT ON CAMERA' 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 that it would be more dangerous to drive at less than the speed of prevailing traffic, for instance. Tesla's experiment is unusually public. Other companies faced similar issues: Alphabet's Waymo and General Motors' Cruise had their own share of traffic mishaps after showing up on Austin streets. City officials logged dozens of instances over the past two years where residents and authorities reported that robotaxis blocked traffic by stopping in the middle of roads, failed to respond to police directions and could not deal with emergency vehicles and road closures. A serious accident involving a pedestrian in 2023 led Cruise to shut down last year. Waymo is the only robotaxi service in the U.S. to ferry paying customers without a human backup driver or in-car safety monitor. It started offering rides to the general public through Uber in Austin earlier this year. Musk for years has failed to deliver on promises that self-driving Teslas are just around the corner. Tesla rolled out the service for a flat fee of $4.20 to a limited number of handpicked riders. The service is not available to the broader public and the robotaxis operate in a limited area, and avoid difficult intersections and bad weather. Riders were rarely bothered much by driving issues. Farzad Mesbahi, a former Tesla program manager, and his co-passenger hit the "drop off early" option during a ride. The vehicle stopped in an intersection with a stoplight, his video showed. They exit quickly and walk to the sidewalk. "The car should have known to not stop there," Mesbahi is heard saying after the ride. "Opportunities for improvement," the co-passenger says. That is an example "most companies would not be comfortable with," said Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, adding that she was surprised by the traffic mistakes. "Dropping off people in the middle of a six-lane road or edge of a busy intersection when the traffic is going in the opposite direction is pretty dangerous. They definitely did not want to do this or be caught on camera," she said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Analysis-Tesla's refresh to best-selling Model Y SUV starts on rocky road
By Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Tesla investors had pinned their hopes on a refresh of the company's flagship compact SUV to reinvigorate sales. But rock-bottom financing deals for the Model Y and its easy availability suggest that this expectation is unrealistic. The electric vehicle maker is offering financing deals as low as 0% on the spanking new version of the Model Y. While other automakers including Kia and General Motors are offering similar deals on some EV models, such offers within weeks of a model rolling out are rare. Early signs of weak demand for the restyled Model Y- launched in January - come amid stiff competition and customer aversion to CEO Elon Musk's divisive politics. "Why would you discount and have all these incentives and offers literally out of the gate?" asked Loren McDonald, chief analyst with EV data firm Paren. "That just doesn't make sense when your margins are already at multiyear lows. That suggests very strongly that there is a demand problem." Global sales data on the refreshed Model Y is not yet available, leading analysts to pursue clues on how Tesla is marketing the vehicle and whether it appears to be in short supply. Supplies are not tight. The refreshed version is available immediately in many parts of the world, with some units already available in Tesla's inventory. That is a far cry from the long wait times typically seen for the previous Model Y, which was the highest-selling car in the world last year. In fact, overall Tesla sales in Europe continued to plunge in April across key countries, data showed this month. Sales in China dropped over 8% last month, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed on Sunday. "Short delivery wait times, low-interest loan offers, and weak April registration numbers in China and Europe all point to soft demand for the refreshed Model Y in key markets," researcher Troy Teslike, who follows Tesla, told Reuters. A slow kickoff for the Model Y - which Tesla has blamed on retooling needed at its factories for the revamp - piles fresh pressure on the company to launch its long-promised cheaper models. After Tesla reported its first drop in annual deliveries last year, Musk pulled back his forecast of a 30% increase in vehicle sales this year and said simply that Tesla would return to growth. Last month, Tesla said it would revisit that forecast in three months in light of "shifting global trade policy." After a 13% drop in first-quarter vehicle sales, analysts expect Tesla deliveries to fall again this year. Musk's embrace of far-right politics in Europe, and his work as U.S. President Donald Trump's ally, cutting federal jobs and humanitarian aid, have alienated Tesla's largely liberal customer base. It has also prompted global protests, and, according to data, a record number of trade-ins. Musk himself holds there is no pullback in demand other than some caused by broader economic concerns. Tesla finance chief Vaibhav Taneja, however, said last month that "unwanted hostility towards our brand and our people had an impact in certain markets." Tesla did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. NOT NEW The revamped Model Y's most striking feature is a light bar that stretches across the front of the car, much like the Cybertruck, which too has failed to find many buyers. The car drives more smoothly and quietly than its predecessor, according to Tesla, and comes with a rear-seat touch screen and ambient lighting. The new Model Y is selling at roughly the same price as the previous version, although Tesla regularly raises and lowers prices. In the United States, Tesla has Model Y promotions such as a 1.99% interest rate or zero down payment and is offering a $2,000 discount for existing Model Y customers. In some European countries, the company is offering the Model Y at 0% interest rate, with two years of free charging at its high-speed Superchargers. In China, a key market for Tesla, where local competition has been denting sales, the company is promoting a five-year 0% interest rate before June 30. Those offers are far lower than the competition. The average U.S. interest rate on new vehicles in April was 7.1%, according to Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, a national vehicle research and shopping site. For EVs that are sold through dealerships it was 5.5%. A 1.99% interest rate on the Model Y would save a customer anywhere from $4,500 to over $6,600, according to Edmunds' calculations. The Model Y now has nearly 30 competitors in the United States, according to Paren's McDonald. "No one's looking at that vehicle thinking, 'Oh, that's totally different and new,' and I think that may be part of the issue," Caldwell said, referring to low demand. Earlier this month, Tesla introduced a cheaper, rear-wheel drive option for the Model Y - a sign that signaled Tesla's efforts to find new consumers. "If you're not going to have as much from a product story, at least you have something from a pricing story to talk about," Caldwell said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Analysis-Tesla's refresh to best-selling Model Y SUV starts on rocky road
By Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla investors had pinned their hopes on a refresh of the company's flagship compact SUV to reinvigorate sales. But rock-bottom financing deals for the Model Y and its easy availability suggest that this expectation is unrealistic. The electric vehicle maker is offering financing deals as low as 0% on the spanking new version of the Model Y. While other automakers including Kia and General Motors are offering similar deals on some EV models, such offers within weeks of a model rolling out are rare. Early signs of weak demand for the restyled Model Y - launched in January - come amid stiff competition and customer aversion to CEO Elon Musk's divisive politics. "Why would you discount and have all these incentives and offers literally out of the gate?" asked Loren McDonald, chief analyst with EV data firm Paren. "That just doesn't make sense when your margins are already at multiyear lows. That suggests very strongly that there is a demand problem." Global sales data on the refreshed Model Y is not yet available, leading analysts to pursue clues on how Tesla is marketing the vehicle and whether it appears to be in short supply. Supplies are not tight. The refreshed version is available immediately in many parts of the world, with some units already available in Tesla's inventory. That is a far cry from the long wait times typically seen for the previous Model Y, which was the highest-selling car in the world last year. In fact, overall Tesla sales in Europe continued to plunge in April across key countries, data showed this month. Sales in China dropped over 8% last month, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed on Sunday. A slow kickoff - which Tesla has blamed on retooling needed at its factories for the revamp - piles fresh pressure on the company to launch its long-promised cheaper models. After Tesla reported its first drop in annual deliveries last year, Musk pulled back his forecast of a 30% increase in vehicle sales this year and said simply that Tesla would return to growth. Last month, Tesla said it would revisit that forecast in three months in light of "shifting global trade policy." After a 13% drop in first-quarter vehicle sales, analysts expect Tesla deliveries to fall again this year. Musk's embrace of far-right politics in Europe, and his work as U.S. President Donald Trump's ally, cutting federal jobs and humanitarian aid, have alienated Tesla's largely liberal customer base. It has also prompted global protests, and, according to data, a record number of trade-ins. Musk himself holds there is no pullback in demand other than some caused by broader economic concerns. Tesla finance chief Vaibhav Taneja, however, said last month that "unwanted hostility towards our brand and our people had an impact in certain markets." Tesla did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. NOT NEW The revamped Model Y's most striking feature is a light bar that stretches across the front of the car, much like the Cybertruck, which too has failed to find many buyers. The car drives more smoothly and quietly than its predecessor, according to Tesla, and comes with a rear-seat touch screen and ambient lighting. The new Model Y is selling at roughly the same price as the previous version, although Tesla regularly raises and lowers prices. In the U.S., Tesla has Model Y promotions such as a 1.99% interest rate or zero down payment and is offering a $2,000 discount for existing Model Y customers. In some European countries, the company is offering the Model Y at 0% interest rate, with two years of free charging at its high-speed Superchargers. In China, a key market for Tesla, where local competition has been denting sales, the company is promoting a five-year 0% interest rate before June 30. Those offers are far lower than the competition. The average U.S. interest rate on new vehicles in April was 7.1%, according to Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, a national vehicle research and shopping site. For EVs that are sold through dealerships it was 5.5%. A 1.99% interest rate on the Model Y would save a customer anywhere from $4,500 to over $6,600, according to Edmunds' calculations. The Model Y now has nearly 30 competitors in the U.S., according to Paren's McDonald. "No one's looking at that vehicle thinking, 'Oh, that's totally different and new,' and I think that may be part of the issue," Caldwell said, referring to low demand. Earlier this month, Tesla introduced a cheaper, rear-wheel drive option for the Model Y - a sign that signaled Tesla's efforts to find new consumers. "If you're not going to have as much from a product story, at least you have something from a pricing story to talk about," Caldwell said. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Analysis-Tesla's refresh to best-selling Model Y SUV starts on rocky road
By Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla investors had pinned their hopes on a refresh of the company's flagship compact SUV to reinvigorate sales. But rock-bottom financing deals for the Model Y and its easy availability suggest that this expectation is unrealistic. The electric vehicle maker is offering financing deals as low as 0% on the spanking new version of the Model Y. While other automakers including Kia and General Motors are offering similar deals on some EV models, such offers within weeks of a model rolling out are rare. Early signs of weak demand for the restyled Model Y - launched in January - come amid stiff competition and customer aversion to CEO Elon Musk's divisive politics. "Why would you discount and have all these incentives and offers literally out of the gate?" asked Loren McDonald, chief analyst with EV data firm Paren. "That just doesn't make sense when your margins are already at multiyear lows. That suggests very strongly that there is a demand problem." Global sales data on the refreshed Model Y is not yet available, leading analysts to pursue clues on how Tesla is marketing the vehicle and whether it appears to be in short supply. Supplies are not tight. The refreshed version is available immediately in many parts of the world, with some units already available in Tesla's inventory. That is a far cry from the long wait times typically seen for the previous Model Y, which was the highest-selling car in the world last year. In fact, overall Tesla sales in Europe continued to plunge in April across key countries, data showed this month. Sales in China dropped over 8% last month, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed on Sunday. A slow kickoff - which Tesla has blamed on retooling needed at its factories for the revamp - piles fresh pressure on the company to launch its long-promised cheaper models. After Tesla reported its first drop in annual deliveries last year, Musk pulled back his forecast of a 30% increase in vehicle sales this year and said simply that Tesla would return to growth. Last month, Tesla said it would revisit that forecast in three months in light of "shifting global trade policy." After a 13% drop in first-quarter vehicle sales, analysts expect Tesla deliveries to fall again this year. Musk's embrace of far-right politics in Europe, and his work as U.S. President Donald Trump's ally, cutting federal jobs and humanitarian aid, have alienated Tesla's largely liberal customer base. It has also prompted global protests, and, according to data, a record number of trade-ins. Musk himself holds there is no pullback in demand other than some caused by broader economic concerns. Tesla finance chief Vaibhav Taneja, however, said last month that "unwanted hostility towards our brand and our people had an impact in certain markets." Tesla did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story. NOT NEW The revamped Model Y's most striking feature is a light bar that stretches across the front of the car, much like the Cybertruck, which too has failed to find many buyers. The car drives more smoothly and quietly than its predecessor, according to Tesla, and comes with a rear-seat touch screen and ambient lighting. The new Model Y is selling at roughly the same price as the previous version, although Tesla regularly raises and lowers prices. In the U.S., Tesla has Model Y promotions such as a 1.99% interest rate or zero down payment and is offering a $2,000 discount for existing Model Y customers. In some European countries, the company is offering the Model Y at 0% interest rate, with two years of free charging at its high-speed Superchargers. In China, a key market for Tesla, where local competition has been denting sales, the company is promoting a five-year 0% interest rate before June 30. Those offers are far lower than the competition. The average U.S. interest rate on new vehicles in April was 7.1%, according to Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds, a national vehicle research and shopping site. For EVs that are sold through dealerships it was 5.5%. A 1.99% interest rate on the Model Y would save a customer anywhere from $4,500 to over $6,600, according to Edmunds' calculations. The Model Y now has nearly 30 competitors in the U.S., according to Paren's McDonald. "No one's looking at that vehicle thinking, 'Oh, that's totally different and new,' and I think that may be part of the issue," Caldwell said, referring to low demand. Earlier this month, Tesla introduced a cheaper, rear-wheel drive option for the Model Y - a sign that signaled Tesla's efforts to find new consumers. "If you're not going to have as much from a product story, at least you have something from a pricing story to talk about," Caldwell said.
