Musk: Tesla's Robotaxis Still Struggling to Spot Pets at Night
Elon Musk revealed that Tesla's robotaxis are facing a challenge in detecting animals on the road at night, particularly grey kittens on grey tarmac. Austin's service hours have been extended to 11 pm, but the issue remains despite these adjustments.
Literally trying to avoid grey kittens on grey tarmac in the dark, Musk stated on Friday, as reported by Electrek.
The EU's Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles is set to vote on Tesla's camera-only driver assistance system on October 6th, with several countries already approving it through mutual recognition of the Dutch approval.
Evolution of Austin's Service Hours
Initially, Austin's robotaxi service ran from 6 am to midnight, but it has since been shortened to 10 pm to 11 pm.
The Role of Cameras, Lidar, and Radar
Musk has previously expressed skepticism about lidar, calling it a "fool's errand" in 2019 and a "seductive local maximum" in 2022. Tesla (get the details) (find out more) has dropped radar and ultrasonic sensors, relying solely on cameras for its vehicles.
Waymo's self-driving cars, on the other hand, use a combination of 13 cameras, four lidars, and six radars, operating around the clock.
Regulatory Considerations
Europe is taking a significant step this week by voting on bloc-wide approval of Tesla's FSD Supervised, a Level 2 system where the driver remains liable. Six countries have already approved it through mutual recognition of the Dutch approval.
However, recent crashes involving Tesla vehicles in the dark have raised concerns, leading to the redaction of crash narratives and software versions as confidential business information.