What’s in a Name?
When Tesla announced its ‘robotaxi’ service, you might have pictured a gleaming, driverless vehicle whisking you off to your destination while you sip on a latte. However, as it turns out, the word ‘robotaxi’ might just be the most generous term Tesla has ever used! Scheduled to expand to the Bay Area—details that might leave you scratching your head—these rides will continue to feature a human in the driver’s seat. So, what exactly are we left with? A glorified Uber with an occupant who happens to have a safety button?
Autonomous? Not Quite!
Elon Musk once promised that Tesla would lead the autonomous driving revolution but, oh boy, do those promises seem like optical illusions now! The company is keen on earning a win in self-driving after what feels like a never-ending treadmill of missed deadlines. They’re rolling out their ‘robotaxi’ with a human supervisor riding shotgun, ready to intervene, because level 4 autonomy is still shy and has yet to make an appearance. Oh, and they’re already seeing the need for supervision with dozens of interventions over just 7,000 miles in Austin. Sounds safe, right?
Are We There Yet?
As Tesla prepares to launch the ‘robotaxi’ in the Bay Area this weekend, one can’t help but wonder if they’re celebrating or managing an elaborate façade. The idea of a self-driving taxi sounds exciting, but with restrictions akin to having a remote control for the car, should we temper our enthusiasm? At this point, ‘Tesla supervised full self-driving’ might just be the best description of the current situation, even if the title doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
