Latest news with #driverless
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Tesla's Sluggish Sales Return to the Fore After Robotaxi Debut
Tesla Inc.'s rally off the back of launching a limited driverless taxi service is about to be tested by what analysts expect will be another downbeat quarterly sales report. The electric-car maker likely delivered around 390,600 vehicles in the three months that ended in June, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That would be down roughly 12% from a year earlier, following a 13% drop in the first quarter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
First Tesla Drives Autonomously From Dealer to Buyer's House, Ends in Embarrassing Flub
On Saturday, Tesla announced that it had made the world's first fully driverless delivery of a car, achieving a key promise Elon Musk had made ahead of the rocky launch of his robotaxi service. In a promotional video shared by the automaker, a Model Y rolls out of Tesla's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. With no one inside, the gleaming EV drives itself across highways and city streets until finally reaching its new owner's apartment, making automotive history in the process. All's well — except for what seems to be one major, embarrassing oversight: where this genius feat of engineering decided to park. We draw your attention to the brightly red-colored curb that the Tesla stopped at, which reads in conspicuous white text: "NO PARKING FIRE LANE." It's theoretically possible that Tesla somehow received special permission to park the vehicle there. But if it didn't, it's another glaring example of the automaker's autonomous cars flaunting traffic laws. "As usual, Elon Musk's latest PR stunt prioritizes showmanship over public safety," Dan O'Dowd, CEO and founder of the watchdog group the Dawn Project, wrote on X. "Is the fine for blocking a fire lane included in the purchase price of a new Tesla?" Tesla's self-driving software has been the subject of intense public and regulatory scrutiny, which has ramped up following the launch of its robotaxi service in Austin earlier this month. Up until that point, the automaker had never demonstrated it was capable of deploying a fully autonomous driving system. Its popular Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature still requires the driver to remain alert and ready to take over at a moment's notice. Predictably, major cracks began to show once the ten to 20 robotaxis in Tesla's fleet began offering rides to its exclusively Tesla-fanboy clientele, who eagerly documented their driving experiences. Thanks to them, we have footage of the robotaxis committing errors including randomly slamming the brakes, nearly rear-ending a UPS truck, and dropping off passengers in the middle of a busy intersection. Notably, a few of the videos appear to show Tesla's robotaxis violating traffic laws. In one instance, a robotaxi blazes through a 15 mile per hour zone at 27 miles per hour. In another, a robotaxi wildly starts turning the steering wheel side-to-side before clearly crossing the road's solid double yellow lines to barge into a left-turn lane. These incidents earned Tesla the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is in talks with the automaker regarding the apparent traffic violations. No investigation has been launched yet, but these talks are sometimes the precursor to one. This latest stunt may add fuel to the fire. Nonetheless, Musk is claiming victory. On X, he proclaimed the delivery was the "first fully autonomous drive with no people in the car or remotely operating the car on a public highway." This isn't true. As CNBC notes, robotaxi leader Waymo has been testing its fully autonomous cars on highways in Phoenix, Arizona, since 2024, though it's currently only offering rides in this capacity to employees. In any case, we're pretty much just taking Tesla at its word, which is a precarious thing. It admitted to staging a popular promotional video from 2016 that purported to show one of its fully driving itself with someone behind the wheel; it turned out that engineers had pre-mapped the route taken in the video and that the car had crashed at least once during the shoot. More on Tesla: While Tesla's Robotaxi Program Crumbles, Its Sales Are Falling Apart
CNA
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
Adopting autonomous vehicles: Players looking to scale up, one eyeing eight-fold increase in near future
Some major autonomous vehicle (AV) operators in Singapore are looking to expand, amid a national push to make driverless vehicles more common. Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said recently that AVs can supplement public buses and relieve manpower issues. One firm is eyeing an eight-fold increase in the next few years and serving HDB estates. But it's also calling for roadblocks, like infrastructure constraints, to be cleared.
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Answers needed on driverless bus crash in Hong Kong
Who would have thought that more than 60 driverless vehicles, including buses, had been running around Hong Kong International Airport night and day since last year. This is revealed in details that emerged after two unmanned buses collided in a restricted area at Chek Lap Kok. No one was hurt because there were neither drivers nor passengers. But it was potentially serious because the buses shuttle staff around the airport, and unmanned vehicles are taking part in trials on our public roads. The public needs to acknowledge the risk of such incidents. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu set the right tone with a pledge to find the cause of the collision and a reassurance to residents that authorities will closely supervise companies testing driverless technologies. That is good to hear. Autonomous vehicles are a global trend. To remain competitive, Hong Kong has to keep up with developments without compromising safety. The ultimate goal must be to eliminate driver errors or faults. Lee noted driverless transport was a trend worldwide and autonomous vehicles had been used in the restricted area of the airport for nearly seven years. Hong Kong has been accelerating the development of autonomous driving, with the Transport Department last week extending trial runs to Tung Chung and allowing three private driverless vehicles to operate during each road test. This followed the implementation of a new regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles in March 2024. Since then, authorities have stepped up trials from one vehicle to 10 simultaneously, while raising the speed limit to 50km/h. The buses that crashed were developed by Uisee, a mainland autonomous driving company with its global headquarters in Hong Kong and not reported to have been linked to previous accidents. It has leveraged its airport experience to seek similar contracts overseas, including at Singapore Changi Airport. Uisee launched driverless transport at Hong Kong airport in 2019, first with baggage and cargo tractors, then patrol vehicles. Driverless shuttles for airport staff were introduced in 2023. A Transport and Logistics Bureau investigation must shed light on what happened because it involves serious safety issues in a new dimension of public transport.
Tahawul Tech
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Tahawul Tech
Tesla robotaxis draw concerns from U.S. regulators
Tesla has been approached by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after footage shared on social media appeared to show its newly-launched driverless cars breaking traffic laws. The firm's long-awaited robotaxis were tried out on public roads for the first time in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Videos posted online seem to show instances where the vehicles, which had a safety driver in the passenger seat, drive erratically. In a statement, the NHTSA said it was 'aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information'. Social media footage seems to show the vehicles struggled with real world driving scenarios. One video seems to show a robotaxi stopping abruptly as it passes a parked police car. Tech news outlet TechCrunch said cars were also seen speeding and swerving into the wrong lane. The rollout is limited to 12 taxis and Tesla says they won't operate in bad weather, attempt difficult intersections or carry customers below the age of 18. Analysts had already said the small-scale launch showed how far Tesla has to go to catch up with rivals. Tesla is using a different technology to its rivals, relying on in-car cameras rather than the radar and sensors employed by the current market leaders. It is betting that its approach will be cheaper and therefore ultimately more attractive to consumers. However, questions have been asked about its safety. The NHTSA has highlighted that under the law it 'does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems – rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA's rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects'. Source: BBC News Image Credit: Stock Image/Tesla
