Core Viewpoint - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has contacted Tesla following reports of its robotaxis violating traffic laws during a limited rollout in Austin, raising concerns about the safety of the autonomous vehicle technology [1][2]. Group 1: NHTSA's Involvement - NHTSA is aware of incidents involving Tesla robotaxis and is gathering additional information from the manufacturer [2] - The agency emphasizes that it enforces laws on all vehicle manufacturers and investigates potential safety defects without pre-approving new technologies [2] Group 2: Tesla's Robotaxi Launch - Tesla began offering paid rides in its robotaxis to invited customers in South Austin, marking a significant test of its autonomous vehicle technology [1][3] - The robotaxis are equipped with an unsupervised version of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, which allows them to drive autonomously, although a human safety monitor is present during rides [3] Group 3: Safety Concerns - Videos have surfaced showing Tesla robotaxis exceeding speed limits and swerving into the wrong lane, raising safety concerns [3] - An incident was reported where a Tesla robotaxi abruptly hit its brakes without apparent reason, particularly when approaching police vehicles [4]

Core Insights - Tesla's robotaxis will be geo-fenced to specific areas in Austin, avoiding intersections deemed unsafe by the company [5][6] - Elon Musk criticized a recent Business Insider report that highlighted a critical error in Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, stating that the test compared supervised and unsupervised versions of the technology [3][4] - The company plans a gradual rollout of its robotaxis, starting with a limited number of vehicles and increasing to potentially 1,000 within a few months [6] Summary by Sections Tesla's Robotaxi Launch - The launch of Tesla's robotaxis is scheduled for June in Austin, with a focus on safety by limiting operations to certain areas [5] - The robotaxis will avoid intersections unless the company is confident in their performance at those locations [5] Response to Business Insider Report - Musk described the Business Insider test as flawed, arguing that it compared different versions of the FSD software [3][4] - The report indicated that Tesla's FSD ran a red light during a test, while Waymo's technology successfully avoided the same intersection [2][5] Rollout Strategy - The initial deployment will consist of approximately 10 robotaxis, with plans to scale up to 1,000 vehicles in a few months [6]