Washington, June 25 (AP) - Federal traffic safety regulators are examining potential issues with Elon Musk's test runs of self-driving robotaxis in Texas following the emergence of videos showing the vehicles engaging in erratic behavior. These incidents include abrupt braking, proceeding straight through intersections from turning lanes, and driving on the wrong side of the road.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Tuesday that it has reached out to Tesla for details regarding these apparent malfunctions. While numerous other videos display robotaxis operating correctly, any significant findings by regulators could challenge Musk's assertions about the safety of the robotaxis. Furthermore, it may cast doubt on his vision of a future dominated by cars that no longer require human drivers or even steering wheels.
"NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information," stated the agency.
Passengers using Tesla robotaxis in Austin, Texas, have generally given positive feedback, leading to an 8% rise in the company's stock on Monday. However, investor confidence waned on Tuesday following news of NHTSA's inquiry, causing the stock to drop over 2%.
Tesla has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities, a bullish Tesla analyst, experienced a flawless ride in a robotaxi on Sunday when the test runs began. Ives downplayed the significance of the videos on X and YouTube showing errors, suggesting any issues would be rectified promptly. He referred to the test as a major success despite the presence of skeptics.
Telemetry Insight expert Sam Abuelsamid, however, expressed concern over the videos, recommending a halt to the tests in their current format. He described Tesla’s self-driving software as having "highly erratic performance," often working well but prone to making "random and inconsistent but dangerous errors."
"This is not a system that should be carrying members of the public or being tested on public roads without trained test drivers behind the wheel," Abuelsamid warned.
In one video, a Tesla navigates into a lane marked for left turns only but continues straight through the intersection, entering an opposing lane. The car seems to recognize the error, resulting in erratic swerving before returning to normal. Despite traveling in the wrong lane for 10 seconds, there was no oncoming traffic at the time.
Rob Maurer, the passenger who posted the video, played down the incident, noting, "There are no vehicles anywhere in sight, so this wasn't a safety issue. I didn't feel uncomfortable in the situation."
Another video shows a Tesla stopping abruptly twice in the middle of the road, potentially reacting to flashing police car lights. However, the police appeared uninterested in the Tesla as they attended to an unrelated matter on side roads.
Last year, federal regulators launched an investigation into how Teslas using Musk's Full Self-Driving system perform in low-visibility conditions following several accidents, one being fatal. Consequently, Tesla recalled 2.4 million vehicles at that time.
Musk has long argued that Teslas utilizing Full Self-Driving technology are safer than human drivers and predicts that his robotaxis, leveraging a more advanced system, will achieve rapid success. He anticipates deploying hundreds of thousands of these vehicles by the end of next year.
However, Musk faces significant challenges despite a successful test in Austin. Other companies like Amazon's Zoox and Waymo, the current market leader, are already offering self-driving taxi services in multiple cities, including Austin. Waymo recently celebrated surpassing its 10 millionth paid ride.
Musk is under pressure for a robotaxi breakthrough. His involvement with the Trump administration as a cost-cutting czar has alienated Tesla's traditional, environmentally conscious, and liberal-leaning customer base in the U.S., impacting sales. Additionally, there has been resistance in Europe after Musk's alignment with extreme right-wing politicians earlier this year in Britain and Germany. (AP)
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