More bad news for Tesla: As the date nears for its autonomous robotaxi service launch, it has yet to operate the vehicles unsupervised in the Texas capital.
What's happening?
"Tesla has reportedly yet to start testing its robotaxi service in Austin without a safety driver behind the wheel — just weeks before the planned launch," Electrek reported, citing The Information. The electric vehicle pioneer was planning on a June rollout.
The latter outlet said Tesla had used human safety drivers until at least April, and the former noted Waymo tested its autonomous taxi service without supervision for six months before taking that next step.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has touted the service for years, though he has made similar pie-in-the-sky promises in the past that have not come to fruition. Recently, his assurances that Cybertrucks would be cheap range monsters and otherwise groundbreaking were met with the reality of expensive price tags more than double the original estimates, recalls, the cancellation of a range extender add-on, and widespread criticism.
Electrek pointed out that the robotaxi launch is "disappointing" because all Teslas since 2016 have been "capable of self-driving." The problem is that the company has had to clarify its models must be supervised by an attentive driver; the robotaxis are supposed to be autonomous, so the current tech would at best require the passenger to be a licensed driver sitting in the driver's seat.
That may be a non-starter for ride-hailing services, so the company understandably wants to at least replicate what Waymo has achieved, with an intention to be even better. That may be difficult, though, without adopting the more expensive safety mechanisms Waymo employs with additional lidar and radar detection for its AI driving tech to cross-reference.
"Even with the significant downgrade in self-driving capabilities promised with this project, there are many doubts about Tesla's ability to achieve the lesser goal," Electrek's Fred Lambert also wrote, adding that other companies have been there and done that. He said a letdown with the robotaxi service "would be disastrous" but might open the eyes of shareholders who have not flinched in the face of previous broken promises.
Why is this important?
In March, Electrek detailed this issue: "Tesla's upcoming launch in Austin is extremely similar to what Waymo has been operating for years, with the main difference being that Tesla only uses cameras while Waymo uses a full array of different sensors, including lidar."
YouTuber Mark Rober recently demonstrated the problem with Tesla's approach, showing the camera system could be fooled by a wall that was made to look like a road. Though Rober only tested it on Tesla's lesser Autopilot feature (albeit in its most conservative settings) instead of Full Self-Driving, the debacle made headlines, putting the camera-only system into question.
More broadly, Tesla's struggles — which include massive drops in sales and its stock price (which has since regained a big chunk of its losses) on the heels of Musk spending big on the 2024 presidential election campaign and becoming involved in government cuts to programs and jobs — signal a difficult path ahead. In response, Musk has said robotaxis and robotics would be the future of the company and help it again reach the heights it has climbed.
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"My main concern now is for public safety," Electrek's Fred Lambert stated. "I have little hope of U.S. regulators being able to stop Tesla considering [President Donald] Trump is firing anyone who got in Musk's way after he gave him over $250 million. If Tesla brings its cowboy approach to this, it could get bad quickly."
A commenter added: "Cab drivers are still cheaper than a team of engineers, remote operators, and supercomputers, and the taxi business has low profit margins. This means Tesla will be losing money on every ride for years to come." This claim is realistic for the short term, though Musk and Co. surely are aware that the project is an investment for longer-term profitability.
In general, electric vehicles help consumers save about $1,500 annually on gas and maintenance. They also reduce the production of planet-warming pollution, which is driving rising global temperatures that threaten human health, plant and animal biodiversity, and stable weather systems.
No matter Tesla's struggles, you can contribute to a cleaner, cooler future. Make your next car an EV, or take public transportation instead of driving. Walking and cycling are even better alternatives that will help you pad your bank account, get exercise, and boost everyone's well-being in addition to that of Earth.
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