Tesla’s ambitious plans for robotaxis may be facing significant scrutiny after new evidence of potential violations of traffic laws has surfaced. Despite the company’s claims of a smooth rollout for its robotaxi fleet, recent footage paints a different picture.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reportedly reached out to Tesla due to these issues, which include lane discipline violations and exceeding speed limits.
One disturbing incident involved a robotaxi that was seen repeatedly swerving into the wrong lane in a 12-second video. The vehicle even crossed into the oncoming traffic lane, only to return to its proper lane by crossing a double yellow line. In another clip recorded by Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt, a robotaxi was seen accelerating to 35 mph in a 30 mph zone, raising concerns about its ability to adhere to traffic regulations.
To address safety concerns, Tesla has stationed an employee in the front passenger seat of each robotaxi to ensure manual control in case of an emergency. The vehicles are also monitored remotely by teleoperators who can take over if necessary. Despite these precautions, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which powers the robotaxis, remains a Level 2 system, meaning it still requires human intervention. This is in contrast to Waymo’s Level 4 autonomous driving system, which operates with a fleet of 1,500 Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with advanced sensors, including LiDAR, cameras, and radar.
While Tesla continues to push the boundaries of autonomous driving technology, its robotaxi fleet still faces significant challenges, particularly regarding safety and reliability. The company has requested that the NHTSA keep its responses to a questionnaire about its robotaxi project confidential, indicating the sensitive nature of the situation.