So How'd The Robotaxi Roll Out Go?

 

Monday was the big roll out of South Afrikaner fascist and SpaceXplode rocket man Elon "Leon" Musk's Tesla / Swasticar "Robotaxi" in Austin, TX. From all reports, it was a mess.  From Futurism:

"On Tuesday, the botched Robotaxi launch led Tesla stock to drop more than four percent and nearly $15 in a single day. That falloff came after videos emerged showing the driverless cabs — which also, embarrassingly, still have human 'safety monitors' riding shotgun — breaking traffic laws and driving erratically.

One of the most viral Robotaxi freakouts shows one of the not-exactly-self-driving cabs braking repeatedly when driving near police cars, blowing through an intersection, and swerving into oncoming traffic — all within the brief 20 minutes that the ride was filmed by its backseat passenger.

In another unsettling Robotaxi video, the Model Y's self-driving steering wheel jerks back and forth while plowing through another intersection before careening across a double-yellow line." (our emphasis)

Exciting!  Maybe the unhinged mogul should redesign his creation for carnival bumper car use.  Or call in the DOGEbags to fix it!  Media and Austin residents weren't the only ones noticing the Musk Robotaxi isn't ready for prime time, per CNBC:

"Tesla was contacted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday after videos posted on social media showed the company’s robotaxis driving in a chaotic manner on public roads in Austin, Texas.

Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker debuted autonomous trips in Austin on Sunday, opening the service to a limited number of riders by invitation only.

In the videos shared widely online, one Tesla robotaxi was spotted traveling the wrong way down a road, and another was shown braking hard in the middle of traffic, responding to 'stationary police vehicles outside its driving path,' among several other examples.

A spokesperson for NHTSA said in an email that the agency 'is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.'” (our emphasis)

Too bad for the South Afrikaner that he's on the outs with the MF, or he might have been able to call in some favors with NHTSA.  Pulling strings or not, the public has seen the Robotaxi fail in its big debut (even with a "safety monitor" riding along).  With that, plus competition from Waymo and Amazon's Zoox, Musk's big idea looks increasingly like a dud.  Sad!

(photo: Not hailing a Robotaxi)