Tesla sends driverless Model Y from factory to customer to promote its robotaxi tech
The car traveled around 15 miles on highways, surface streets, and even a roundabout. But many questions remain about the stunt.
Tesla
‘We are the media now’: why Tesla’s robotaxis were dominated by Elon Musk superfans
Over the years, Tesla has built part of its reputation on hosting big, bold events to generate authentic hype for upcoming releases. The robotaxi launch in Austin, Texas, last week wasn’t one of them. Coverage of the rollout was dominated by a close-knit cohort of Tesla influencers and Elon Musk superfans, many of whom are […]
Tesla says it delivered its first car autonomously from factory to customer
This might be a bigger deal than the robotaxis. Tesla said it completed its first fully autonomous vehicle delivery from factory to customer. A video posted on X shows the vehicle — a Tesla Model Y — leaving the company’s Austin Gigafactory, driving on the highway, passing through suburban sprawl and residential neighborhoods, before arriving […]
TechCrunch Mobility: The Tesla robotaxi Rorschach test and Redwood’s next big act
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
Tesla loses key execs but hires a new one from GM’s failed robotaxi company
There’s some executive shuffling going on at Tesla. Two key leaders have left recently – one of them being fired by CEO Elon Musk – but the company also hired an exec from Cruise, GM’s failed robotaxi company. Yesterday, reports from Forbes and CNBC said that Musk had fired Omead Afshar, who formerly led operations […]
Here’s a running list of all of Tesla’s robotaxi mishaps so far
Tesla’s robotaxi rollout has been rockier than the fanboys and influencers who got early access to the company’s driverless vehicles would like you to believe. And thanks to these diligent Redditors, we now have a list of all the mistakes the company’s “unsupervised” vehicles have made in the first couple days. Some are relatively minor, […]
Tesla’s robotaxis are operating in a regulatory vacuum
This week, Tesla launched its long-promised robotaxi service in Austin, and almost immediately its vehicles were caught fucking up. In a YouTube video, a Tesla robotaxi briefly drives on the wrong side of the road. Another video shared by Ed Niedermeyer, the author of a book about Tesla’s origins, shows a robotaxi braking hard in […]
Tesla’s robotaxi reality check
After years of grand promises about how robotaxis would change the way we buy and use our cars, Tesla finally launched its taxi service. In one small portion of one city. With only a few cars and a few riders. Plus safety monitors in the passenger seat. Caution is a good thing in this industry, […]
Tesla’s robotaxi is live: here are some of the first reactions.
Tesla finally did the damn thing. The company launched its hotly anticipated robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, June 22nd — and we’re now starting to see some of the first reactions roll in. But first, we have to get a few important caveats out of the way. Tellingly, the service is not open to […]
Tesla’s first robotaxi rides will have a ‘safety monitor’ in the passenger seat
Tesla has begun sending out invitations for its highly anticipated robotaxi service, but there’s one significant caveat: it’s installing a “safety monitor” in the front passenger seat, as previously reported by Electrek. The invites, which were sent to Tesla influencers and investors, say the human monitor will “accompany you on your trip” when rides begin […]