Tesla’s Robotaxi gets caught crashing through bollards, just as it readies the purpose-built Cybercab for public roads

In Austin, Texas, a Tesla Robotaxi passenger captured footage of their driverless vehicle colliding with plastic bollards. Tesla's head of AI claimed the Robotaxi program has an "impeccable safety record" with "zero notable incidents," according to Electrek. The video shows the car creeping forward, backing up, and then driving through the plastic posts, causing a noticeable thud sound.

The passenger heard the impact, saying, "It hit em, it hit em." The incident occurred without a safety operator behind the wheel, and it is unclear if a remote operator authorized the decision to drive through the marked area. Despite Tesla's emphasis on safety, the company's choice not to use a proprietary high-definition mapping system, like Waymo, may have contributed to this mishap.

Tesla has driven over 380,000 miles with the Robotaxi, but it is still significantly behind Waymo's 220 million miles. Tesla aims to begin trial runs of its fully autonomous Cybercab on public roads this month, with employees testing the vehicle first. However, Tesla's Austin fleet is down to around 17 cars, operating in a limited area compared to Waymo's expansive testing grounds.