Tesla Robotaxi Launch Sparks Safety Concerns, NHTSA Responds

Tesla’s Robotaxi launch event in Austin on Sunday received praise from analysts, but it also sparked concerns after several attendees posted videos showing the autonomous vehicles behaving unexpectedly and potentially violating traffic laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reached out to Tesla the following day, expressing its commitment to taking necessary actions to ensure road safety.

The launch event, primarily attended by invited Tesla investors, analysts, and influencers, provided the public with its first glimpse of Tesla’s Robotaxi technology. This technology is an “unsupervised” version of the company’s already available Full Self-Driving (Supervised) tech. Tesla first unveiled its Cybercab and larger Robovan at an event in Burbank, California, last October. However, Sunday’s launch in Austin marked a significant development in nearly a year of Tesla CEO Elon Musk promoting the company’s Robotaxi ambitions, despite internal warnings suggesting the Cybercab may never be profitable.

While the event garnered positive reviews from some Tesla analysts, videos taken by attendees revealed instances of Tesla’s vehicles driving erratically and violating traffic laws, despite the presence of a “safety monitor” in the front seat. In one video, a Tesla vehicle hesitated at an intersection and entered a lane meant for oncoming traffic. The car then crossed a double solid yellow line before entering a left turn lane, prompting a honk from another driver. Another video showed a Robotaxi braking hard after passing stopped police vehicles that were not in its immediate path, raising safety concerns.

These incidents, along with others posted on social media, prompted the NHTSA to contact Tesla on Monday. The agency confirmed that it is aware of the incidents and is gathering additional information. The NHTSA clarified that it does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems but ensures that vehicles meet its safety standards and follows up on possible safety defect incidents. The agency stated that it will take any necessary actions to protect road safety following an assessment of the reports and other relevant information.

The NHTSA has an existing investigation into crashes involving Tesla vehicles using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Tesla has not publicly responded to the Sunday incidents but had previously responded to NHTSA’s questions about its Robotaxi program. The company reportedly asked the NHTSA to keep its responses confidential.

Legal experts noted that the NHTSA’s outreach to Tesla does not necessarily mean an investigation has been opened, but the company should be vigilant. If the issue escalates, the NHTSA has the authority to enforce a recall or impose fines. Jason Turchin, a product liability lawyer, suggested that the NHTSA and federal government should use these incidents to craft regulations for the production and use of self-driving vehicles. Craig Melrose, a former vehicle production engineer at Toyota, viewed the NHTSA’s involvement as a positive development, indicating a proactive review and potential standardization of best practices across the industry.