Has Tesla’s Robotaxi launched a stunting twisted?

But a launch of the long -lasting robotaxi service in Austin did not go completely to the script. Initially Musk said that no one else that the customer would be within the autonomous driving Teslas, but the car manufacturer has installed human security operators on the front passenger seat of each car to intervene when the technology fails. The service is not yet open to the public; Only invited users, initially the influencers of Popular Tesla on the Musk platform, have access to the robotassi. Tech Blooper captured by those cyclists, including an accident in which a robotaxi briefly crossed a double yellow line to drive in the next traffic lane, attracted the warning of federal regulators; A spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Administration told Wired last month that the agency is examining technology. And the launch itself was small, using only a handful of cars in a limited part of the city. (Tesla expanded the Austin service area last week; in a brazen and upsetting flies typical of Musk and Tesla, the new map Remember a foul.

However, Musk said that his technology will be rapidly launched and that there will be “millions of Teslas that operate independently” in the second half of 2026.

Evir also interrogated 4,100 consumers with exposure to investments in Tesla and discovered that 61 % believe that Musk should “focus on his activities instead of risking his reputation with the activities related to the government”.

If we consumers cannot be on board with Tesla Robotaxis, the relapses may have implications for the entire sector of autonomous vehicles. As with any new technology, a misstep of a security step of an actor in the sector could influence everyone.

The feelings of nauseating consumer towards the robotassi could not arrive at a worst moment: after years of promotion and underestimation, many developers of Western technology are finally obtaining their autonomous guided technology on the roads. Alphabet’s Waymo is collecting paying passengers in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta; Amazon Zoox says it will be launched in Las Vegas this year; Lyft and the technological developer can mobility say that they will start collecting passengers in Atlanta this year; Uber and the British company Wayve claim that they are working to start the autonomous driving service in London at some point after the second half of 2027.

In a written declaration, it can mobility COO Kathy Winter called polls that find low public trust and interest in robotasses “simply a low exposure artifact to a new technology”. “Superior comfort and safety [autonomous vehicles] Providing are the changevalues also for the most skeptical drivers for the first time, “he wrote.

In a statement, the spokesman for Waymo Ethan Teicher wrote: “We work closely with community organizations, elected officials, regulators and rescuers to help educate the public on technology in the cities we manage before being open to the knights”. He mentioned Waymo data Show that Waymo’s technology arrives in 88 % less accidents involving serious injuries in the cities in which it operates compared to the average human factor.

Zoox did not respond to Wired’s requests for comments.

In the meantime, China seems to run forward in autonomous driving taxis. Baidu’s Apollo Go he says he has completed 11 million races—The time, more than The 10 million Waymo—In the city of all of China; rivals weride and pony.ai operate in five and four cities, respectively.

Update, 22 July at 13:30: updated to include a declaration of Waymo. This story was also previously updated to correct an error. The percentage of consumers who were less interested in Robotaxi races after reading the extract of the Wall Street Journal is 50 percent.