A Tesla robotaxi appears to have found an unconventional solution to a blocked route: drive through it.
An undated video posted to Reddit on Monday shows what the poster identifies as a Tesla Robotaxi stopping in front of a queue of flexible traffic bollards. The vehicle hesitates, then inches forward, hitting several posts and ploughing on through the separated area rather than backing out. You can hear a passenger reacting as the car hits them.
The original Reddit post does not say when the footage was taken and there’s nothing in the post to suggest Tesla has commented on the incident.
Reddit users looking at the surroundings identified the site as an intersection in Austin, Texas near a Texas Orthopaedics building, but that has not been independently verified. One local commenter noted the flexible posts are part of Austin’s use of relatively inexpensive «quick build» street-safety measures.
Since June, the company has been testing Cybercabs on public roads while carrying out employee rides on private roads and training with local first responders ahead of the launch, according to The Information.
Tesla Robotaxi Rams through several Bollards and keeps going.
by u/bladerskb in SelfDrivingCars
Cybercab prepares for its real-world test
Tesla has told employees it plans to launch the purpose-built Cybercab in Austin as early as August, The Information reported. The plan is to begin by offering rides for employees on public roads before adding the vehicles to Tesla’s commercial Robotaxi service days later.
Tesla’s ambitions are bumping up against a much more cautious regulatory reality elsewhere. The company has filed an application with Nevada to deploy up to 5,000 robotaxis in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. The state approved 10, Axios reported.
Read more: Elon Musk begins building $16.8bn Terafab chip factory in Texas
Those cars are limited to 45mph and the Las Vegas Strip corridor, cannot pick up passengers at Harry Reid International Airport and must operate with «appropriate human supervision». Tesla has also yet to apply for the federal exemption that would let its control-free Cybercab operate despite existing vehicle-safety requirements.
