TECH NEWS – Elon Musk’s Robotaxi is a disaster. One costly mistake set it all in motion. Tesla’s autonomous vehicles continue to spark doubts as their self-driving system has already shown serious flaws in Texas.

Just days after the launch of Tesla‘s Robotaxi in Austin, Texas, regulatory agencies have flagged so many issues that the project is already in jeopardy. According to the attorney suing the company, we’re standing on the brink of disaster—one bad turn away from funerals. And at the center of it all is a decision Elon Musk made over a decade ago.

Tesla’s robotaxis have already demonstrated sudden braking around police cars, unexplained swerves, and traffic violations like driving in the wrong lane—enough to alarm the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Now, Musk’s bold bet faces a technological bottleneck that he himself created.

The Root of the Robotaxi Crisis

It all comes down to cost-cutting: Tesla‘s autonomous system relies only on AI-powered cameras to detect obstacles. As proven not just by the company’s mounting crashes but by experiments—like sending a vehicle straight into a painted wall à la Coyote and Road Runner—using LiDAR sensors would have been much safer.

Elon Musk famously dismissed LiDAR as “nonsense,” calling it “fucking stupid, expensive, and unnecessary” in cars. But now, U.S. regulations are starting to require precisely that. Experts believe robotaxis won’t make it to California for this very reason—and even Texas may soon close the door.

By September 2025, a new law in Texas will require Tesla to demonstrate the effectiveness of its camera-only Autopilot system in new tests. While the company has tweaked the system multiple times to appease the NHTSA‘s critics, crashes keep happening—casting serious doubt on the entire camera-only approach.

Source: 3djuegos