AUSTIN (KXAN) – After Tesla’s Robotaxi launch, the company’s stock jumped 8%.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk called the launch a success and “a culmination of a decade of hard work” in a social media post. Still, the EV company has remained tight-lipped about what might come next.
KXAN saw reports that the vehicles were being held in a robotaxi depot in a southeast Austin parking lot. On Monday afternoon, KXAN observed several Teslas with the robotaxi branding leaving the location.
Dozens of vehicles — not all of them robotaxis — are being held behind a gated fence wrapped in a thick black tarp. The facility has a security guard and several security cameras.
On its first official day, customers with an exclusive invite could order a Tesla Robotaxi for a flat rate of $4.20. Tesla’s website has a robotaxi page with a message indicating that the service is still only available to those with an invitation.
Some who took rides on Sunday took to social media, reporting smooth rides. Many who were invited to ride on launch day were affiliated with the company.
While most reported no incidents, at least one video was posted online showing the vehicles having issues following traffic rules. Tesla has not responded to our request for comment.
“I still have a significant concern about testing vehicles like this on public roadways, as opposed to doing it in a private, controlled environment,” said Donald Slavik, who has represented people nationwide injured or killed while using Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving features.
Slavik said the robotaxi videos he saw appeared to show them making similar mistakes to those seen in autopilot-related incidents.
“Tesla has been, in my experience, super secretive about everything,” he said. “They don’t want to have anyone know even what accidents they have.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked Tesla on May 8 about its plans to launch the robotaxi service in Austin.
“As you are aware, NHTSA has an ongoing defect investigation (PE24031) into FSD collisions in reduced roadway visibility conditions,” the letter read.
The agency said it wanted more information on how Tesla was developing and evaluating its robotaxi technology, including how it planned to test the vehicles and their automation systems on public roads.
An NHSTA spokesperson gave KXAN the following statement when asked about the letter on Monday.
“Tesla has stated the information in its response to NHTSA’s inquiry is confidential business information. The Vehicle Safety Act restricts NHTSA’s ability to publicly release what the companies label as confidential. Given this requirement, Tesla’s response has been redacted accordingly.
NHTSA is in the process of reviewing the information Tesla provided, and the agency’s investigation into Tesla’s FSD-Supervised/Beta remains open.
Following an assessment of these responses and other relevant information, NHTSA will take any necessary actions to protect road safety.”
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