Latest news with #TeslaY
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ahead of Tesla robotaxi launch, residents in one Austin neighborhood say Model Ys—with drivers—are circling their blocks over and over
Christian Pfister, a 68-year-old retiree, walks his Great Pyrenees, Wally, each morning on the street in his quiet neighborhood—a compilation of old oak tree-lined streets for single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments in southeast Austin where he's been living the last 26 years. It was about three weeks ago, on one of these morning strolls, that he spotted a white Tesla Y with a Texas manufacturer plate drive by, with a dark-colored Tesla closely trailing behind it. He watched as the Tesla tandem conducted a left turn at a street up ahead of him, disappeared around the block for half a mile, then drove by him again—once, then twice, then again and again. 'That's all they did—around the same block over and over and over, all day long,' Pfister says in an interview. Since Pfister's spotting of the vehicles a few weeks ago, a handful of white Teslas (and some black and gray Teslas too) have frequented the streets of Pfister's small neighborhood, driving the same routes and taking the same turns repeatedly—typically with drivers in the front seat, though two residents in the neighborhood that Fortune interviewed say they have seen some driverless vehicles with someone in the passenger seat. Another resident saw Teslas without anyone in them at all on multiple occasions. Tesla is testing the vehicles in the neighborhood as it gears up for a long-anticipated launch of its self-driving taxi service in Austin by the end of this month. The EV company, which has been working on autonomous technology for more than a decade now, has said it is finally ready to go up against robotaxi competitors like Alphabet, whose subsidiary Waymo has already offered 10 million paid rides and is operating in four cities and planning to launch soon in several more. Elon Musk has assured investors that Tesla's robotaxi service, which will initially start small with 10 to 20 vehicles, will expand to several other cities before the end of the year. But it all will start in Austin—and specifically in this small neighborhood—as Tesla proves its concept and irons out any kinks. When the sightings of Tesla's robotaxis began a few weeks ago, they raised alarm among some of the people who lived in the neighborhood. A couple of residents took to the community messaging platform Nextdoor to query their neighbors as to why white Teslas—with drivers—were parking in front of their houses for long stretches of time. 'It's freaking me out,' one woman posted. Anastasia Maren, 24, who moved into the neighborhood last month, said she has seen Teslas drive by or park in front of her duplex repeatedly since she moved in, particularly when she is going on walks. 'They stare you down as if you're in their way, or you're the one who shouldn't be here,' Maren says of the drivers. She says that, while she has sometimes seen the vehicles driving around with only someone in the passenger seat—she often sees a person in the driver's seat controlling the vehicles. 'Sometimes I can see the person actually turning the wheel,' she says. A 37-year-old Austin resident, Robert Yeats, who lives in an apartment complex further north in the neighborhood than Maren and Pfister, says he sees white Teslas line up in front of his apartment, parked and with their hazard lights on, often in groups of about four. In some cases, the Teslas were parked in the middle of the road with their hazard lights on, forcing other drivers to go around them. According to one resident, the tests have occurred as late as 10pm. None of the residents Fortune spoke to said they had received any notice or information from Tesla about the testing in their neighborhood. Austin residents are used to seeing self-driving vehicles around town. Waymo's cars started mapping the city in 2023 with safety drivers on-board, and has since begun offering passenger service around the city without safety drivers in the vehicles. Pfister told Fortune he has seen Waymos parked overnight in front of empty lots in the same neighborhood. A few years ago, Cruise had released robotaxis on the streets of Austin, back before parent company General Motors stopped all rides, and later shut down the ride-hail service, after a high-profile accident in San Francisco. But the Tesla sightings add to the questions that many industry observers have about the viability of the company's technology and approach to autonomous driving. While other autonomous vehicle companies have needed to digitally map roads and neighborhoods before launch, Tesla claims that its camera-only system doesn't require high-definition mapping, radar, or lidar technology. According to the company, its approach to autonomous driving is less expensive and more adaptable than the competition: instead of mapping an area for months, Tesla cars can figure out the terrain wherever they are. But if that's the case, why are Teslas driving around the same streets of one neighborhood over and over—and why do many of the vehicles have someone driving them? 'I thought, well, maybe they're just in the driver's seat, so that if something goes wrong, they can grab the steering wheel. But they are actually driving the car,' Pfister says, noting that he has seen the drivers with their hands on the steering wheel. 'They are actually driving the car, so it's not driverless. I don't really understand.' Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Tesla has also conducted testing in at least two other locations in Texas. There was a scheduled testing with emergency vehicles in a separate isolated street in Austin, as Fortune earlier reported. Tesla also did testing at a training facility in Florence, Tex. with the Texas Department of Public Safety's crash reconstruction team. During that event, state agencies set up scenarios for Tesla's robotaxis to operate, so that the company could collect information about how to respond to various encounters with emergency personnel and equipment, such as crash scenes or flashing lights and sirens, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. But it's along a few blocks of the neighborhood in Southeast Austin where Tesla has been conducting its regular, real-world testing in the weeks before launch. There's a Tesla Supercharger station just across a busy street—the only station for about two miles—as well as a Tesla collision center less than two miles down the road. The neighborhood itself features quiet streets, though Teslas will have to cross a busy road to get to the charging station. There aren't sidewalks on the residential streets, so residents walk their dogs or push strollers on the street itself—giving the cars an opportunity to operate with obstacles in a controlled environment. The three residents tell Fortune that the cars appear to operate at speeds no greater than 25 miles-per-hour. Tesla is nearing the end of the June deadline that Musk set for launch—with just three weeks until the end of the month. A Bloomberg report had suggested the company was aiming for a June 12 launch. But as of Tuesday, June 10, several important pre-launch checklist items appeared to be outstanding. Tesla had provided drafts, but not finalized emergency responder guides, nor had it conducted emergency responder trainings to the Austin Transportation and Works Department of the Austin Fire Department as of Tuesday, the agencies told Fortune. As Fortune earlier reported, the EV maker told city employees those items would be furnished before the company launches service. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Teslas were a symbol of progressive values. Now some progressives are ditching the cars.
It was not enough for Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to announce that he had gotten rid of his Tesla. He did it on X, the social media platform headed by Elon Musk, who took over as CEO of the electric vehicle company in 2008. Kelly made his reason for abandoning the car that one time represented progress and automotive and environmental achievement: Musk and his politics. 'Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,' Kelly posted. Other well-known figures have dumped Teslas as well, including actor Jason Bateman, who said driving it was like 'driving around with a Trump sticker' back in October. Music star Sheryl Crow made a video to announce she had sold her Tesla. She donated the money from the sale to NPR, posting: 'My parents always said … you are who you hang out with. There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long, Tesla.' Musk's connection to President Donald Trump and the emergence of the Department of Government Efficiency and its vast federal government job cuts were the tipping points for many progressives who owned the EV, which remains the top-selling electric car in the country. But Musk's influence within conservative politics has inspired a growing segment of people to ditch their Tesla, as they don't want to be connected to Musk and had tied his political actions to their ownership of vehicles produced by his company. It is a connection many have said they want to disengage by getting rid of their once-beloved groundbreaking cars. Tesla did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Teslas still make up 42% of electric vehicle sales in the U.S., even with recent dips. But anecdotal and automotive data indicate that the Tesla brand is taking a hit.. S&P Global Mobility numbers showed that Tesla registrations dropped 11% in January, while other manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet and Volkswagen, saw a 44% increase in electric vehicle registrations. Ronnie and Tarita Bagley purchased a Tesla Y a year ago, thinking Musk was an environmental revolutionary. But one month into DOGE's work under the Trump administration, the Bagleys determined the fate of the EV in their garage. 'We had to get rid of that car,' Ronnie Bagley said. 'Our personal morals and values were at odds with what he represents, which is divisiveness, inequality and chaos.' And so, two weeks ago, they traded in their Tesla for a Cadillac Lyric, an electric SUV. 'It was refreshing to get that Tesla off our hands,' he said. Megan Paulus, a preschool teacher in New Jersey, took over her husband's Tesla Y when he died in December 2021. Paulus said her husband was a 'huge Elon and Tesla fan. He even owned stock.' She said they sold the stock to buy the car. As the owner now, Paulus said, 'I'm very much connected to the story of how we got the car, that it was my husband's car.' But Musk's movements concern her. More importantly, she's worried about being tied to him and his politics by driving a Tesla. The company's dealerships and the cars themselves have been targets of vandalism in recent weeks. 'I no longer wish to be associated with these people. I no longer want to be associated with Elon Musk,' Paulus said. While she said she is 'very happy with the car as a car,' the actions of Tesla's CEO loom over the vehicle, so much so that Paulus said she needed to distance herself from the man as she drives the car. 'I got one of those magnets-slash-bumper stickers,' she said. 'It says: 'I bought the car before I knew how awful Elon Musk was.' I did that as a placeholder, because I have thought very much about selling the car.' While Musk's public image has disappointed many, emergency room physician Jerel Chacko, said he is able to separate the CEO's actions from the vehicle. Chacko, of Holmdel, New Jersey, bought his Tesla Y in 2020. 'Musk wasn't the same type of public figure then as he is today,' he said. 'The perception back then was that he focused on the environment, sustainability and space travel.' Chacko said 'it's a shame' that more people can't follow suit. 'Does he make outlandish statements? Yes,' he said. But he bought the car because it's 'a good product. In my head, he and Tesla are two completely separate entities.' It was disturbing to some Tesla owners that Trump acted as a car salesman last week, having a fleet of Musk's cars on display on the White House lawn. 'What was that?' said Andrew Johnson, of Scottsdale, Arizona. He rents his Tesla out through the Turo car app. 'That display made me sick, from the standpoint of why is the president of the United States pushing cars for the richest man in the world? That was it for me.' 'I don't even drive it, but I don't even want it anymore,' he said. 'This is a man who totally flipped. His car was, in my eyes, a sort of symbol of progress. Now, with him killing people's jobs … I can't. And I won't. I just don't feel right within myself.' Which was also Bagley's point in selling their Tesla. 'You have to take a moral stand,' he said. 'Yeah, you can say it's just a car. But it's really representing you. And we just couldn't bear that.' Neither could Tonya Parker of Atlanta. She bought a Tesla a year ago and included all the upgrades. 'It was tricked out,' she said. 'But still, I never loved the car.' When Musk began campaigning for Trump and espousing his disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion, Parker's dislike of her car — and the man — intensified. 'I wanted to make a statement,' she said after selling her Tesla a couple of weeks ago. 'Some of my friends were disappointed in me that I bought the Tesla in the first place. And I understand. I came to the point where I did not want to be associated with him. I don't like his politics. I don't like anything about him. I don't like the person, Trump, that he co-chairs with. I wanted out.' Paulus, the teacher, seems to want out, too, but she's in the process of purchasing a home and concerned about the resale value of her car. If she does move on from Tesla, she plans to get another EV. 'I'm sold on electric vehicles,' she said. Tamaira Johnson, who lives near San Diego, is also sold on EVs, calling the Tesla's capabilities 'genius.' 'Tesla is still running circles around its counterparts, performancewise, and with its infrastructure network of quick-charging capabilities,' Johnson said. 'But,' Johnson added, 'do I like representing an Elon Musk vehicle? Hell, no.' She owns two Teslas and interchangeably rents out one for passive income via Turo and drives the other. The financial and business considerations are where it gets tricky for her. 'Many like me have to ride it out for a couple reasons,' she explained, adding that the 2020 to 2023 models' value, in some cases, has depreciated, making a trade-in problematic. 'And with Elon's unfavorable popularity, the brand's value is subject to taking a larger dive,' Johnson said. 'So being stuck in a vehicle with upside-down value is what it leaves me with.' Bagley and Parker said they were 'fortunate' to get deals in which they sold their Teslas that allowed them to pay off their loans. Johnson, though, said she likes her cars and considers them reliable. 'If it was just about Musk, you'd see them abandoned on the side of the road all over the place,' she said. 'But until the competitors catch up with the technology, it's going to be tough. Tesla is still the one to beat in the EV industry, regardless of his politics.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- NBC News
Teslas were a symbol of progressive values. Now some progressives are ditching the cars.
It was not enough for Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., to announce that he had gotten rid of his Tesla. He did it on X, the social media platform headed by Elon Musk, who took over as CEO of the electric vehicle company in 2008. Kelly made his reason for abandoning the car that one time represented progress and automotive and environmental achievement: Musk and his politics. 'Every time I get in this car in the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of just how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump is doing to our country,' Kelly posted. Other well-known figures have dumped Teslas as well, including actor Jason Bateman, who said driving it was like 'driving around with a Trump sticker' back in October. Music star Sheryl Crow made a video to announce she had sold her Tesla. She donated the money from the sale to NPR, posting: 'My parents always said … you are who you hang out with. There comes a time when you have to decide who you are willing to align with. So long Tesla.' Musk's connection to President Donald Trump and the emergence of the Department of Government Efficiency and its vast federal government job cuts were the tipping points for many progressives who owned the EV, which remains the top-selling electric car in the country. But Musk's influence within conservative politics has inspired a growing segment of people to ditch their Tesla, as they don't want to be connected to Musk and had tied his political actions to their ownership of vehicles produced by his company. It is a connection many have said they want to disengage by getting rid of their once-beloved groundbreaking cars. Tesla did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Teslas still make up 42% of electric vehicle sales in the U.S., even with recent dips. But anecdotal and automotive data indicate that the Tesla brand is taking a hit.. S&P Global Mobility numbers showed that Tesla registrations dropped 11% in January, while other manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet and Volkswagen, saw a 44% increase in electric vehicle registrations. Ronnie and Tarita Bagley purchased a Tesla Y a year ago, thinking Musk was an environmental revolutionary. But one month into DOGE's work under the Trump administration, the Bagleys determined the fate of the EV in their garage. 'We had to get rid of that car,' Ronnie Bagley said. 'Our personal morals and values were at odds with what he represents, which is divisiveness, inequality and chaos.' And so, two weeks ago, they traded in their Tesla for a Cadillac Lyric, an electric SUV. 'It was refreshing to get that Tesla off our hands,' he said. Megan Paulus, a preschool teacher in New Jersey, took over her husband's Tesla Y when he died in December 2021. Paulus said her husband was a 'huge Elon and Tesla fan. He even owned stock.' She said they sold the stock to buy the car. As the owner now, Paulus said, 'I'm very much connected to the story of how we got the car, that it was my husband's car.' But Musk's movements concern her. More importantly, she's worried about being tied to him and his politics by driving a Tesla. The company's dealerships and the cars themselves have been targets of vandalism in recent weeks. 'I no longer wish to be associated with these people. I no longer want to be associated with Elon Musk,' Paulus said. While she said she is 'very happy with the car as a car,' the actions of Tesla's CEO loom over the vehicle, so much so that Paulus said she needed to distance herself from the man as she drives the car. 'I got one of those magnets-slash-bumper stickers,' she said. 'It says: 'I bought the car before I knew how awful Elon Musk was.' I did that as a placeholder, because I have thought very much about selling the car.' While Musk's public image has disappointed many, emergency room physician Jerel Chacko, said he is able to separate the CEO's actions from the vehicle. Chacko, of Holmdel, New Jersey, bought his Tesla Y in 2020. 'Musk wasn't the same type of public figure then as he is today,' he said. 'The perception back then was that he focused on the environment, sustainability and space travel.' Chacko said 'it's a shame' that more people can't follow suit. 'Does he make outlandish statements? Yes,' he said. But he bought the car because it's 'a good product. In my head, he and Tesla are two completely separate entities.' It was disturbing to some Tesla owners that Trump acted as a car salesman last week, having a fleet of Musk's cars on display on the White House lawn. 'What was that?' said Andrew Johnson, of Scottsdale, Arizona. He rents his Tesla out through the Turo car app. 'That display made me sick, from the standpoint of why is the president of the United States pushing cars for the richest man in the world? That was it for me.' 'I don't even drive it, but I don't even want it anymore,' he said. 'This is a man who totally flipped. His car was, in my eyes, a sort of symbol of progress. Now, with him killing people's jobs … I can't. And I won't. I just don't feel right within myself.' Which was also Bagley's point in selling their Tesla. 'You have to take a moral stand,' he said. 'Yeah, you can say it's just a car. But it's really representing you. And we just couldn't bear that.' Neither could Tonya Parker of Atlanta. She bought a Tesla a year ago and included all the upgrades. 'It was tricked out,' she said. 'But still, I never loved the car.' When Musk began campaigning for Trump and espousing his disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion, Parker's dislike of her car — and the man — intensified. 'I wanted to make a statement,' she said after selling her Tesla a couple of weeks ago. 'Some of my friends were disappointed in me that I bought the Tesla in the first place. And I understand. I came to the point where I did not want to be associated with him. I don't like his politics. I don't like anything about him. I don't like the person, Trump, that he co-chairs with. I wanted out.' Paulus, the teacher, seems to want out, too, but she's in the process of purchasing a home and concerned about the resale value of her car. If she does move on from Tesla, she plans to get another EV. 'I'm sold on electric vehicles,' she said. Tamaira Johnson, who lives near San Diego, is also sold on EVs, calling the Tesla's capabilities 'genius.' 'Tesla is still running circles around its counterparts, performancewise, and with its infrastructure network of quick-charging capabilities,' Johnson said. 'But,' Johnson added, 'do I like representing an Elon Musk vehicle? Hell, no.' She owns two Teslas and interchangeably rents out one for passive income via Turo and drives the other. The financial and business considerations are where it gets tricky for her. 'Many like me have to ride it out for a couple reasons,' she explained, adding that the 2020 to 2023 models' value, in some cases, has depreciated, making a trade-in problematic. 'And with Elon's unfavorable popularity, the brand's value is subject to taking a larger dive,' Johnson said. 'So being stuck in a vehicle with upside-down value is what it leaves me with.' Bagley and Parker said they were 'fortunate' to get deals in which they sold their Teslas that allowed them to pay off their loans. Johnson, though, said she likes her cars and considers them reliable. 'If it was just about Musk, you'd see them abandoned on the side of the road all over the place,' she said. 'But until the competitors catch up with the technology, it's going to be tough. Tesla is still the one to beat in the EV industry, regardless of his politics.'
CBC
07-03-2025
- CBC
Tesla driver arrested for allegedly fleeing scene of deadly collision on Pattullo Bridge
B.C.'s director of civil forfeiture is suing an 18-year-old who is accused of driving a Tesla involved in events immediately preceding a horrific collision between another vehicle and a semi-trailer truck on the Pattullo Bridge last month — that left three people dead and one injured. According to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday, the Tesla driver fled the scene after either "racing with, or in the alternative travelling with, a Nissan Altima" that slammed into the truck in the southbound lanes of the east end of the Pattullo on Valentine's Day. The court documents say the young man was arrested last week and his car — a 2022 Tesla Y model — has been impounded. In a statement to CBC News, the Surrey Police Service confirmed the arrest. "An individual was arrested and subsequently released," said SPS spokesperson Ian MacDonald. "We are anticipating that once we put together our recommended charge package, it would hit B.C. Prosecution Service and then they would assess our charges and the grounds for those charges." Previous charges The CBC is not naming the Surrey driver, who has not been charged in relation with the collision and has not responded to the lawsuit. The notice of civil claim says the director of civil forfeiture is seeking the forfeiture of the Tesla, which it claims is an instrument of unlawful activity. The lawsuit says the driver is accused of failing to remain at the scene of the accident, excessive speeding and driving in a careless manner. According to court records obtained by CBC News, the same young man was charged last September under the Motor Vehicle Act with having tinted windows and using an electronic device while operating a motor vehicle on a highway. The vehicle in that incident was an Acura. The 18-year-old is scheduled to make a court appearance in relation to that charge later this month. Witnesses assisted police investigation MacDonald said the collision is being investigated by the RCMP's criminal collision investigation team. He said witnesses to the accident helped lead to the man's arrest, but he wouldn't go into the details of what police believed had happened immediately prior to the accident. According to earlier statements from police, the three people who were killed and the one person who was injured were all passengers in one of the cars involved. The driver of the semi-trailer truck was unhurt and remained on scene.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2 injured in three-vehicle crash in Rochester
Jan. 28—ROCHESTER — Two people were injured in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 52 in Rochester on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. A 2015 Chevy Impala, 2015 Volkswagon Passat and 2022 Tesla Y were traveling south on Highway 52 when they collided in the Second Street Southwest exit ramp lane around 6:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to a Minnesota State Patrol crash report. The driver of the Chevy, 25-year-old Rodnique Monaee Shearrill of Rochester, had non-life-threatening injuries. Her passenger, 28-year-old Otis Jabari Edwards of Rochester, also had non-life-threatening injuries. Both were transported to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys. The driver of the Volkswagon, 62-year-old Ana Pranjic of Rochester, and the driver of the Tesla, 39-year-old Dustin Brent Hillerson of Rochester, were not injured in the crash, according to the report. The Minnesota State Patrol, Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department and Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service responded to the crash.
