US security regulators contact Tesla over erratic robotaxis | EUROtoday

US security regulators contact Tesla over erratic robotaxis
 | EUROtoday

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has contacted Tesla after footage shared on social media appeared to point out its newly-launched driverless vehicles breaking visitors legal guidelines.

The agency’s long-awaited robotaxis – which boss Elon Musk says are central to Tesla’s future – have been tried out on public roads for the primary time in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.

Videos posted on-line appear to point out situations the place the autos, which had a security driver within the passenger seat, drive erratically.

In an announcement, the NHTSA mentioned it was “aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”

The BBC has contacted Tesla for remark.

Despite the significance Musk locations on his robotaxi mission, Sunday’s launch was low key.

A small group of invited analysts, influencers and shareholders participated in paid rides.

Musk congratulated Tesla’s synthetic intelligence and chip design groups on the launch in a put up on X, exterior, writing that it was “culmination of a decade of hard work”.

However, social media footage appears to point out the autos struggled with actual world driving situations.

One video appears to point out a robotaxi stopping abruptly because it passes a parked police automotive.

Tech information outlet TechCrunch mentioned vehicles have been additionally seen rushing and swerving into the improper lane.

The rollout is restricted to 12 taxis and Tesla says they will not function in dangerous climate, try troublesome intersections or carry prospects under the age of 18.

Analysts had already mentioned the small-scale launch confirmed how far Tesla has to go to meet up with rivals.

Waymo, owned by Google mum or dad Alphabet, together with Amazon’s Zoox, already supply self-driving taxi rides in Austin, in addition to in San Francisco, California, and Phoenix, Arizona.

Fully driverless vehicles have carried out thousands and thousands of miles on public roads in different international locations too, together with China, UAE and Singapore, however whether or not they’re roughly secure than human-driven ones continues to be being investigated.

Tesla is utilizing a special expertise to its rivals, counting on in-car cameras quite than the radar and sensors employed by the present market leaders.

It is betting that its method will likely be cheaper and subsequently finally extra enticing to shoppers.

However, questions have been requested about its security.

The NHTSA has highlighted that below the legislation it “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.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg75zv4gny2o