Latest news with #WholeMarsBlog
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla invites select few to Texas robotaxi trial with front seat safety monitors
By Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy (Reuters) -Tesla has sent out invitations to a small group of people to join the limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday, according to posts and email screenshots on social media. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the front passenger seat, the posts showed. A successful trial in Austin will be crucial for Tesla, as car buyers shun the company following its CEO Elon Musk's embrace of hard-right politics in the U.S. and worldwide. The company has shifted from building a cheaper EV platform to robotics and artificial intelligence. Much of the company's valuation rests on that bet. Musk has said he will focus on safety in the trial, with humans remotely monitoring the vehicles. He has said he expects to be able to scale the robotaxi quickly. Tesla plans to deploy around 10 Model Y SUVs that run on a version of Tesla's full self-driving driver assistance software, Musk has said. The start could be delayed and the service might be limited or unavailable in bad weather. Riders have to be aged 18 or above to take a ride. "Tesla is rolling out the Robotaxi service extremely cautiously, which is good. Baby steps," posted Omar Qazi, an user with 635,100 followers who posts often about Tesla using the handle @WholeMarsBlog and received an invite. "Very much so," CEO Elon Musk responded. But commercializing autonomous vehicles is an expensive, risky process. Tesla and others such as Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon's Zoox have faced federal investigations and recalls following collisions. Industry experts have questioned the efficacy of Tesla's self-driving technology that depends mostly on cameras and AI, without redundant sensors such as lidar and radar, claiming fog, heavy rain, and glaring sunlight can hamper safety. On Wednesday, a group of Democratic lawmakers from the Austin area called on the company to delay the rollout until September, when a new state law governing autonomous vehicles takes effect. Users who confirm their presence in Austin can download Tesla's Robotaxi app, which they use to call a vehicle. "Through this exclusive preview, you'll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our Robotaxi service," one of the screenshots showed. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the screenshots.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Tesla tiptoes into long-promised robotaxi service
SAN FRANCISCO, June 22 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's vision of Tesla's (TSLA.O), opens new tab future is set for a public test on Sunday, when a dozen or so self-driving cars in Austin, Texas start a limited, paid robotaxi service. Though Tesla is dispensing with a webcast product launch event helmed by Musk, fans will be scouring the internet for videos and reports from the coterie of invited riders that will be allowed to hail the small stable of Model Y SUVs for trips within a limited area of the city, accompanied by a Tesla safety monitor in the front passenger seat. The driver's seat will be empty. "Wow. We are going to ride in driverless Teslas in just a few days. On public roads," posted Omar Qazi, an user with 635,200 followers who writes often about Tesla using the handle @WholeMarsBlog and received an invite. The service in Austin will have other restrictions as well. Tesla plans to avoid bad weather, difficult intersections, and won't take anyone below the age of 18. Musk has said he is ready to delay the start for safety reasons, if needed. Tesla is worth more than most of its biggest rivals combined, and Musk has said that is supported by the company's future ability to create robotaxis and humanoid robots. For years, he has promised self-driving cars were just around the corner. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been risky and expensive. GM's Cruise was shut down after a fatal accident and regulators are closely watching Tesla and its rivals, Alphabet's Waymo, which runs a paid robotaxi service in several U.S. cities, and Amazon's Zoox. Tesla is also bucking the young industry's standard practice of relying on multiple technologies to read the road, using only cameras. That, says Musk, will be safe and much less expensive than lidar and radar systems added by rivals. Nonetheless, Musk says he is being "super paranoid about safety" with the rollout. "So far, this launch lags significantly behind the company's promise and what competitors have already delivered," said technology researcher Forrester's principal analyst Paul Miller. Fans have welcomed the caution and the long-awaited arrival. Qazi said on X, Tesla was launching "extremely cautiously, which is good."
Reuters
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Tesla invites select few to Texas robotaxi trial with front seat safety monitors
June 20 (Reuters) - Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab has sent out invitations to a small group of people to join the limited test of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, which is tentatively set to start on Sunday, according to posts and email screenshots on social media. The invitations said a Tesla employee will accompany riders in the front passenger seat, the posts showed. A successful trial in Austin will be crucial for Tesla, as car buyers shun the company following its CEO Elon Musk's embrace of hard-right politics in the U.S. and worldwide. The company has shifted from building a cheaper EV platform to robotics and artificial intelligence. Much of the company's valuation rests on that bet. Musk has said he will focus on safety in the trial, with humans remotely monitoring the vehicles. He has said he expects to be able to scale the robotaxi quickly. Tesla plans to deploy around 10 Model Y SUVs that run on a version of Tesla's full self-driving driver assistance software, Musk has said. The start could be delayed and the service might be limited or unavailable in bad weather. Riders have to be aged 18 or above to take a ride. "Tesla is rolling out the Robotaxi service extremely cautiously, which is good. Baby steps," posted Omar Qazi, an user with 635,100 followers who posts often about Tesla using the handle @WholeMarsBlog and received an invite. "Very much so," CEO Elon Musk responded. But commercializing autonomous vehicles is an expensive, risky process. Tesla and others such as Alphabet's Waymo (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Amazon's Zoox (AMZN.O), opens new tab have faced federal investigations and recalls following collisions. Industry experts have questioned the efficacy of Tesla's self-driving technology that depends mostly on cameras and AI, without redundant sensors such as lidar and radar, claiming fog, heavy rain, and glaring sunlight can hamper safety. On Wednesday, a group of Democratic lawmakers from the Austin area called on the company to delay the rollout until September, when a new state law governing autonomous vehicles takes effect. Users who confirm their presence in Austin can download Tesla's Robotaxi app, which they use to call a vehicle. "Through this exclusive preview, you'll have the opportunity to provide valuable feedback on our Robotaxi service," one of the screenshots showed. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the screenshots.
