Tesla Drives Itself From Factory to Customer
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Tesla completed what is believed to be the first autonomous delivery of a car from factory to customer. The landmark was achieved in Austin, Texas, just days after the company launched its long-awaited self-driving taxi service in the city, which has attracted the attention of federal regulators after footage of some erratic maneuvers appeared online.
The delivery was announced by CEO Elon Musk on X: “The first fully autonomous delivery of a Tesla Model Y from factory to a customer home across town, including highways, was just completed a day ahead of schedule!!
“There were no people in the car at all and no remote operators in control at any point. Fully autonomous! To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fully autonomous drive with no people in the car or remotely operating the car on a public highway.”
Further posts from Tesla provided a highlights video of the delivery and more detail, while Ashok Elluswamy, who leads the company’s autonomous driving team, confirmed that that the car was a standard Model Y and that maximum speed had been 72 mph.
A longer video recording the full half-hour drive shows the Model Y leaving Tesla’s gigafactory, driving on the highway and negotiating Austin’s suburbs before arriving at the customer’s apartment.
The customer, X user @Jagarzaf acknowledged the delivery: “That was me! So excited to be part of this thank you!” in a post that has been viewed 54 million times.
Although Waymo might rightly pick holes in Musk’s assertion that the delivery constitutes the first fully autonomous drive on a public highway – its vehicles have been driving themselves on freeways in Phoenix, San Franciscoand Los Angeles – the delivery constitutes something of a win for Tesla after the rocky rollout of its robotaxi service.
Although the hand-picked selection of Tesla advocates, influencers and investors who tried the service at launch were largely positive about the experience, the general reaction among industry observers and experts has been less favorable.
The requirement for human safety monitors, small fleet and limited coverage area drew criticism, and the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has seen fit to contact Tesla after a number of alarming videos appeared online will not have helped reassure anyone unconvinced about the readiness of the Full Self-Driving technology that underpins the operation.
What the delivery means in wider terms is anyone’s guess. While it may demonstrate that Musk’s vision of “unsupervised” autonomous Full Self Driving is achievable, it is not clear if automated deliveries become a regular feature in the Austin area.
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