Tesla's autonomous Robotaxis are still being trailed by a safety monitor in the passenger seat, contrary to CEO Elon Musk's claims. The safety monitors remain involved in every ride, albeit from a seemingly more discreet position behind a follow-up vehicle.
Multiple videos have surfaced showing Tesla vehicles following the Robotaxis, suggesting that the company's advanced autonomy capabilities may not be as far along as they appear. While Tesla hasn't confirmed whether trail cars are being used to monitor its autonomous vehicles, the presence of these vehicles in behind-the-scenes footage paints a concerning picture.
In a tweet sharing his first unsupervised Robotaxi ride, Joe Tegtmeyer unwittingly highlighted the safety monitors still in place, describing them as "validation" - essentially being on hand for emergency situations. This highlights the limitations of Tesla's current system and how far behind it is from true autonomy.
Compared to Waymo, which operates a fleet of over 2,500 cars with no human intervention, Tesla remains lightyears away. Despite Musk's claims that the company has solved the problem of autonomous driving, its Robotaxis are still only operating a handful at any given time and are reportedly being trailed by safety monitors.
Musk's statement at the World Economic Forum is particularly concerning, suggesting that Tesla's Robotaxis will be widespread in the US by year-end. However, this would put an enormous strain on existing infrastructure, with each ride requiring two vehicles to operate - a stark contrast to the more efficient single-vehicle solution offered by companies like Waymo.
Ultimately, the fact remains that Tesla's safety monitors are still very much involved in its Robotaxis, undermining any claims of major autonomy breakthroughs.
Multiple videos have surfaced showing Tesla vehicles following the Robotaxis, suggesting that the company's advanced autonomy capabilities may not be as far along as they appear. While Tesla hasn't confirmed whether trail cars are being used to monitor its autonomous vehicles, the presence of these vehicles in behind-the-scenes footage paints a concerning picture.
In a tweet sharing his first unsupervised Robotaxi ride, Joe Tegtmeyer unwittingly highlighted the safety monitors still in place, describing them as "validation" - essentially being on hand for emergency situations. This highlights the limitations of Tesla's current system and how far behind it is from true autonomy.
Compared to Waymo, which operates a fleet of over 2,500 cars with no human intervention, Tesla remains lightyears away. Despite Musk's claims that the company has solved the problem of autonomous driving, its Robotaxis are still only operating a handful at any given time and are reportedly being trailed by safety monitors.
Musk's statement at the World Economic Forum is particularly concerning, suggesting that Tesla's Robotaxis will be widespread in the US by year-end. However, this would put an enormous strain on existing infrastructure, with each ride requiring two vehicles to operate - a stark contrast to the more efficient single-vehicle solution offered by companies like Waymo.
Ultimately, the fact remains that Tesla's safety monitors are still very much involved in its Robotaxis, undermining any claims of major autonomy breakthroughs.
Tesla's robotaxis are NOT as safe as they claim, and it's so sad because Elon Musk is trying to make it seem like they're all set for autonomous driving 
. But honestly, those safety monitors still in the back seat of the follow-up vehicle? That's just not cool, fam 
. And can we talk about how Waymo is just getting this whole autonomy thing right? 
2500 cars and zero human intervention? 
Meanwhile Tesla is like "hey let's just wing it" 
. I'm calling BS on Elon's claims, tbh 
I'm telling you, Elon Musk is being super dodgy about Tesla's autonomous tech... Like, come on man, admit it to yourself too! 
Those safety monitors are still a thing? That's not even close to true autonomy. And now this video pops up showing the trail cars behind the Robotaxis? It's like Musk is trying to spin this as "progress" or something 
The fact remains, Tesla's still playing catch-up and Musk is just trying to hype up their tech without actually delivering. It's all about PR at this point... 
Like, show me the tickets, buddy. It's like you're trying to convince us that a Ferrari is just as safe as a Kia with a GPS navigator attached to it 
. And don't even get me started on these "safety monitors" 
. Meanwhile, Waymo is over here driving around with 2,500 cars and not a human in sight 
... yikes, Tesla still got some work to do 
. The fact that they're still using safety monitors in the passenger seat is just embarrassing at this point. It's like, okay, we get it, you guys need some extra eyes on the road, but can't you just, I don't know, figure out how to make your own system work properly? 
and waymo is still the clear winner here 
no human intervention at all? how's that even possible?! 
Tesla needs to catch up stat!! 