Latest news with #TeslaTSLA.O
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Tesla faces lawsuit over fatal autopilot crash involving 2024 Model S in New Jersey
Tesla TSLA.O was sued on Monday by the estates of three people killed last September when their 2024 Model S equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features crashed on New Jersey's Garden State Parkway. The wrongful death lawsuit filed in the federal court in Camden, New Jersey, attributed the deaths of David Dryerman, 54; his wife Michele, 54; and their daughter Brooke, 17, to the car's "defective and unreasonably dangerous design." Brooke's older brother, Max Dryerman, was not in the car, and is also a plaintiff. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Autonomous driving fleet: Tesla's robotaxis launch in Texas with 10-vehicle trial run Tesla, led by billionaire Elon Musk, did not immediately respond to requests for comment after market hours. The plaintiffs' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. Musk's company, based in Austin, Texas, has long faced questions about the safety of its self-driving technology. Tesla has said its features are meant for "fully attentive" drivers with their hands on the steering wheel, and that the features do not now make its vehicles autonomous. Under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla agreed in December 2023 to recall more than 2 million vehicles in the United States to add safeguards to its Autopilot advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). According to published reports, the Dryermans were returning from a music festival on September 14, 2024, when their Model S ran off the road in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, hitting a sign, guardrail and concrete bridge support. The complaint said the car's defective design caused it to stray from its lane of travel and fail to apply emergency braking, resulting in the crash. It also said Tesla failed to warn David Dryerman, who was driving, that his Model S was unsafe, citing Musk's statement in 2016 that Autopilot was "probably better" than human drivers. The Dryermans were wearing seat belts, according to the complaint. "Thousands of Tesla drivers have relied on Tesla's ADAS technology as though it were capable of safe, fully autonomous self-driving with minor software updates when in fact it is incapable of safely handling a variety of routine roadway scenarios without driver input," the complaint said. The case is Dryerman et al v Tesla Inc, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, No. 25-11997. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Matthew Lewis
USA Today
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
How does Tesla's robotaxi system work? Inside its remote control strategy and safety gaps
Tesla TSLA.O tiptoed into its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas on Sunday with about 10 of its Model Y SUVs that will operate within strict limits. The rides were being offered on Sunday for a flat fee of $4.20, CEO Elon Musk said in an X post, and social media influencers were seen booking and taking rides in the robotaxis in several Austin locations, according to videos reposted by Musk. Musk has said the company is being "super paranoid" about safety and that humans will remotely monitor the fleet, which also have safety monitors in front passenger seats. Remote access and control - known in the industry as "teleoperation" - is used in varying degrees by the handful of robotaxi startups operating around the globe. The technology has clear advantages and important limitations. Here are some details of how it works: What is teleoperation? Teleoperation is the control of machines by humans in a different location, usually over a wireless network. It is used to train robots to operate autonomously, monitor their autonomous activity, and take over when required. How do robotaxi operators use teleoperation? The global robotaxi industry is still in test mode, as companies deploy the vehicles in limited geographic areas and continually adjust the artificial intelligence software that controls them. Teleoperation is often used to intervene when a vehicle is unsure of what to do. Alphabet's GOOGL.O Waymo, for example, has a team of human "fleet response" agents who respond to questions from the Waymo Driver - its bot. In case you missed it: Seeking solitude and safety, riders flock to robotaxis driven by computers "Much like phone-a-friend, when the Waymo vehicle encounters a particular situation on the road, the autonomous driver can reach out to a human fleet response agent for additional information," Waymo said in a blog post last year. Former Waymo CEO John Krafcik told Reuters, "the cars aren't being actively monitored," adding that the software is "the ultimate decision-maker." A Waymo video shows a car asking a remote operator whether a street with emergency response vehicles is open to traffic. When the human says yes, the vehicle proceeds. In contrast, other companies, such as Baidu's Apollo Go in China, have used fully remote backup drivers who can step in to virtually drive the vehicles. Baidu declined to comment. What are the limitations? Driving vehicles remotely on public roads has a major potential problem: it relies on cellular data connections that can drop or operate with a lag, disconnecting the vehicle from the remote driver in dangerous situations. Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said that approach could work for a small test deployment of 10 vehicles, such as Tesla's initial effort in Austin, but he called teleoperation "inherently unreliable technology." "Eventually you will lose connection at exactly the worst time," he said. "If they've done their homework, this won't ever happen for 10 cars. With a million cars, it's going to happen every day." Former Waymo CEO Krafcik agreed, adding that the time delay in cell signal makes remote driving "very risky." On the other hand, relying on the vehicle to reach out for help and allowing the vehicle to be the decision-maker are risky as well, Koopman said, as it does not guarantee the vehicle will make the right decision. Waymo declined to comment on the limitations of its approach. Koopman also noted there are limits to how many vehicles one person can safely monitor. A group of Democratic Texas lawmakers had asked Tesla on Wednesday to delay its robotaxi launch until September, when a new autonomous-driving law is scheduled to take effect. The Austin-area lawmakers said in a letter that delaying the launch "is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla's operations." What is Tesla's approach? Musk for years has promised, without delivering, that its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) advanced driver assistance software would graduate to completely self-driving and control robotaxis. This year, he said Tesla would roll out a paid service in Austin underpinned by an "unsupervised" version of the software. "Teslas will be in the wild, with no one in them, in June, in Austin," Musk told analysts and investors in January. In May, he told CNBC that the robotaxi would only operate in parts of Austin that are safe for it, would avoid difficult intersections, and would use humans to monitor the vehicles. What those teleoperators are doing is not clear. For years inside Tesla, company executives have expected to use teleoperators who could take over in case of trouble, said one person familiar with the matter. For instance, if a robotaxi were stuck in a crowded pedestrian area and confused about what to do next, a human teleoperator could take over and guide it, the source said. Tesla advertised for teleoperation positions, saying the company needs the ability to "access and control" autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots remotely. Such employees can "remotely perform complex and intricate tasks," it said in the advertisements. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. "We are being super paranoid about safety," Musk said in a post ahead of the launch. Reporting by Chris Kirkham, Norihiko Shirouzu and Rachael Levy; Writing by Abhirup Roy; Editing by Peter Henderson and Rod Nickel
Yomiuri Shimbun
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tesla Rolls out Robotaxis in Texas Test
AUSTIN, June 22 (Reuters) – Tesla TSLA.O deployed a small group of self-driving taxis picking up paying passengers on Sunday in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk announcing the 'robotaxi launch' and social-media influencers posting videos of their first rides. The event marked the first time Tesla cars without human drivers have carried paying riders, a business that Musk sees as crucial to the electric car maker's financial future. He called the moment the 'culmination of a decade of hard work' in a post on his social-media platform X and noted that 'the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.' Teslas were spotted early Sunday in a neighborhood called South Congress with no one in the driver's seat but one person in the passenger seat. The automaker planned a small trial with about 10 vehicles and front-seat riders acting as 'safety monitors,' though it remained unclear how much control they had over the vehicles. In recent days, the automaker sent invites to a select group of influencers for a carefully monitored robotaxi trial in a limited zone. The rides are being offered for a flat fee of $4.20, Musk said on X. Tesla investor and social-media personality Sawyer Merritt posted videos on X Sunday afternoon showing him ordering,getting picked up and taking a ride to a nearby bar and restaurant, Frazier's Long and Low, using a Tesla robotaxi app. If Tesla succeeds with the small deployment, it still faces major challenges in delivering on Musk's promises to scale up quickly in Austin and other cities, industry experts say. It could take years or decades for Tesla and self-driving rivals, such as Alphabet's GOOGL.O Waymo, to fully develop a robotaxi industry, said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University computer-engineering professor with expertise in autonomous-vehicle technology. A successful Austin trial for Tesla, he said, would be 'the end of the beginning – not the beginning of the end.' Most of Tesla's sky-high stock value now rests on its ability to deliver robotaxis and humanoid robots, according to many industry analysts. Tesla is by far the world's most valuable automaker. As Tesla's robotaxi-rollout date approached, Texas lawmakers moved to enact autonomous-vehicle rules. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Friday signed legislation requiring a state permit to operate self-driving vehicles. The law, which takes effect September 1, signals that state officials from both parties want the driverless-vehicle industry to proceed cautiously. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. The governor's office declined to comment. 'EASY TO GET, EASY TO LOSE' The law softens the state's previous anti-regulation stance on autonomous vehicles. A 2017 Texas law specifically prohibited cities from regulating self-driving cars. The new law requires autonomous-vehicle operators to get approval from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before operating on public streets without a human driver. It gives state authorities the power to revoke permits for operators they deem a public danger. The law also requires firms to provide information on how first responders can deal with their driverless vehicles in emergency situations. The law's permit requirements for an 'automated motor vehicle' are not onerous but require firms to attest their vehicles can operate legally and safely. It defines an automated vehicle as having at least 'Level 4' autonomous-driving capability under a recognized standard, meaning it can operate with no human driver under specified conditions. Level 5 autonomy is the top level and means a car can drive itself anywhere, under any conditions. Compliance remains far easier than in some states, notably California, which requires submission of vehicle-testing data under state oversight. Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who focuses on autonomous driving, said it appears any company that meets minimum application requirements will get a Texas permit – but could also lose it if problems arise. 'California permits are hard to get, easy to lose,' he said. 'In Texas, the permit is easy to get and easy to lose.' MUSK'S SAFETY PLEDGES The Tesla robotaxi rollout comes after more than a decade of Musk's unfulfilled promises to deliver self-driving Teslas. Musk has said Tesla would be 'super paranoid' about robotaxi safety in Austin, including operating in limited areas. The service in Austin will have other restrictions as well. Tesla plans to avoid bad weather, difficult intersections, and will not carry anyone below age 18. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has been risky and expensive. GM's GM.N Cruise was shut down after a serious accident. Regulators are closely watching Tesla and its rivals, Waymo and Amazon's AMZN.O Zoox. Tesla is also bucking the young industry's standard practice of relying on multiple technologies to read the road, using only cameras. That, Musk says, will be safe and much less expensive than lidar and radar systems added by rivals.
GMA Network
11-06-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Musk says some of his posts about Trump 'went too far'
Elon Musk listens to US President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., February 11, 2025. REUTERS/ Kevin Lamarque/ File photo Billionaire businessman Elon Musk said on Wednesday he regretted some of the posts he made last week about Donald Trump as they had gone "too far", a gesture the U.S. president described as "very nice," in the latest sign of a tentative reconciliation between the two men. Trump said on Saturday his relationship with Musk was over after they exchanged insults on social media, with the Tesla TSLA.O and SpaceX CEO describing the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination." Musk has since deleted some posts critical of Trump, including one signaling support for impeaching the president. Sources close to the world's richest man say his anger has started to subside and that he may want to repair the relationship. Company and market analysts suggested Musk's tone could reflect a desire to protect his businesses. "I regret some of my posts about President Donald Trump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote in a post on his social media platform X on Wednesday, without saying which specific posts he was talking about. After Musk's comments, Trump told the New York Post: "I thought it was very nice that he did that." JD Vance and David Sacks, Trump's crypto czar and a longtime Musk friend, pushed for Musk and Trump to make up, according to two people briefed on the conversations, with one of the sources saying that Musk was serious about potentially starting a third party, a risk for Republicans going into midterms. Tesla shares rose 1.3% on Wednesday. "The conciliatory tone from Musk recently might indicate his desire to protect his businesses in the light of the position he has found himself in," said Mamta Valechha, consumer discretionary analyst at Tesla investor Quilter Cheviot. Tesla shareholder Matthew Britzman, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said both Musk and Trump appeared to have de-escalated the situation. "It still feels unlikely that we'll see these two giant personalities so closely intertwined again, but it's in neither's best interest to let the drama continue," he said. Shawn Campbell, adviser and investor at Camelthorn Investments, said the relationship between Musk and Trump could be restored but also said it was unlikely it would return to where it once was. Trump last week threatened to terminate government contracts with Musk's companies. "The stakes between the richest man in the world and leader of the most powerful nation in the world are just so big, with billions of dollars of government contracts at stake, not to mention the power to investigate and regulate and tax," said Campbell, who personally holds Tesla shares. Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles spoke to Musk on Friday, one of the people briefed said. That same day, James Fishback, a Tesla investor and external DOGE adviser, posted on X that the billionaire owed Trump 'a full-throated apology.' Musk retorted: 'What's the apology for exactly.' But Musk subsequently deleted several posts, and a senior Trump adviser called Fishback to thank him, according to one of the sources. Big donor Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, spending nearly $300 million in last year's U.S. elections and taking credit for Republicans retaining a majority of seats in the House and retaking a majority in the Senate. Trump then named him to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. Musk left the role late last month after criticizing Trump's marquee tax bill, calling it too expensive and a measure that would undermine his work at the Department of Government Efficiency. Declaring their relationship over on Saturday, Trump said there would be "serious consequences" if Musk decided to fund U.S. Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill. Trump also said he had no intention of repairing ties with Musk. On Monday, Trump said he would not have a problem if Musk called and that he had no plans to discontinue the Starlink satellite internet provided to the White House by Musk's SpaceX but might move his Tesla off-site. "We had a good relationship, and I just wish him well," Trump said. Musk responded with a heart emoji to a video on X showing Trump's remarks. Tesla shares have recouped all the losses they suffered during the public feuding between Trump and Musk last Thursday, when more than $150 billion was wiped off the company's market value. — Reuters
Daily Maverick
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Trump and Musk to speak on Friday after alliance descends into public feud
By Nandita Bose and Andrea Shalal A White House official said the two men would speak on Friday. The official did not give a time for the call, which could ease the feuding after an extraordinary day of hostilities – largely conducted over social media – that marked a stark end to a close alliance. Shares in Musk's Tesla TSLA.O closed down over 14% on Thursday, losing about $150 billion in market value in the largest single-day decline in value in its history. In pre-market European trading on Friday they pared some of those losses, rising 5% after the news that the two men were scheduled to speak. Politico first reported the planned call. Musk had bankrolled a large part of Trump's presidential campaign and was then brought as one of the president's most visible advisers, heading up a sweeping and controversial effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending. The verbal punches erupted on Thursday after Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then traded barbs on their social media platforms: Trump's Truth Social and Musk's X. The falling-out had begun brewing days ago when Musk, who left his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency a week ago, denounced Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill. The president initially stayed quiet while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was 'very disappointed' in Musk. 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump said. As Trump spoke, Musk responded on X. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in last year's election. In another post, Musk asserted that Trump's signature import tariffs would push the U.S. into a recession later this year. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,' Trump posted. Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied, 'Yes,' to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached, something that would be highly unlikely given Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. Musk's businesses also include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink. Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the U.S. government's space program, said that as a result of Trump's threats he would begin decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is the only U.S. spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Late on Thursday, Musk backed off the threat. In another sign of a possible detente to come, Musk subsequently wrote: 'You're not wrong,' in response to billionaire investor Bill Ackman saying Trump and Musk should make peace. PUNCHING BACK Trump and Musk are both political fighters with a penchant for using social media to attack their perceived enemies, and many observers had predicted a falling-out. Musk hit at the heart of Trump's agenda earlier this week when he targeted what Trump has named his 'big, beautiful bill', calling it a ' disgusting abomination ' that would deepen the federal deficit. His attacks amplified a rift within the Republican Party that could threaten the bill's prospects in the Senate. Nonpartisan analysts say Trump's bill could add $2.4 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. A prolonged feud between the pair could make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress in next year's midterm elections if it leads to a loss of Musk's campaign spending or erodes support for Trump in Silicon Valley. 'Elon really was a significant portion of the ground game this last cycle,' said a Republican strategist with ties to Musk and the Trump administration who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. 'If he sits out the midterms, that worries me.' On Tuesday, Musk posted that 'in November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.' Musk had already said he planned to curtail his political spending in the future. Musk's increasing focus on politics provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites, driving down sales while investors fretted that Musk's attention was too divided.
