Overview

• Tesla launched its pilot on June 22 using a small fleet of driverless Model Y vehicles operating within a geofenced area in Austin with human safety monitors aboard.
• Social media footage has shown robotaxis veering into wrong lanes, braking abruptly in traffic and occasionally exceeding posted speed limits.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation to gather information from Tesla and assess potential safety defects in the vehicles.
• Tesla’s autonomous system depends solely on camera-based AI, a strategy that contrasts with Waymo’s use of lidar, radar and high-definition mapping.
• Waymo has expanded its driverless service to Atlanta and completed over 10 million paid trips across five U.S. cities, intensifying competition in the robotaxi market.