A driverless ride may appeal to anyone who’s had a frightening or uncomfortable experience with a taxi driver. That’s why Google’s Waymo is considered a leader in this space; it’s evolved enough to have a pretty strong safety record. The race for market share heated up with Tesla’s launch of its Robotaxis this week. But are Tesla’s Robotaxis safe?
Creator Zack Feldstein (@zackfeldstein) posted a video from the backseat of a Tesla Robotaxi in Austin, amid the service’s launch in that city. His TikTok video prompted a flood of comments from people who aren’t ready to trust the Robotaxi with their lives. The post has more than 2.4 million views as of this writing.
Tesla Robotaxi Safety In The Wild
In his post, Feldstein sits in the back of a Robotaxi Model Y as it navigates the streets smoothly and with apparent ease on a recent sunny day. It’s as if an invisible person is driving the car. Some even joke that the driving is done remotely, although that only seems to be the case for operators who need to intervene in an emergency.
But the enthusiasm and Tesla’s stock price slowed down after some unsettling videos of Robotaxis went viral…