I Watched 2 Hours of Tesla Robotaxi Footage. Here Is What I Learned.

I watched over two hours of footage of Tesla’s highly anticipated robotaxi service: I saw an Uber-like app experience, the in-vehicle interface, human supervisors, and miles of Austin streets.

While the rides were mostly without incident, I noted a few hiccups from the newly launched autonomous vehicle — and at least one really smart move.

After years of delays, Tesla’s robotaxis were rolled out in Austin on June 22 to about a dozen invited users. The selected riders agreed to certain terms and are mostly Tesla influencers and shareholders.

These early access riders have been livestreaming and posting about their experiences since Sunday.

Business Insider reviewed multiple videos posted by riders, and this is what we found so far.

User experience

The robotaxi ride-hailing app seems straightforward to use and reminiscent of the Uber app, complete with a map, a countdown of how long your wait would be, and even instructions on how to open the Tesla car door (in case you are unfamiliar with its press-and-open handle design). These features are well displayed in a video posted by YouTuber Justin Demaree, who goes by Bearded Tesla Guy on social media.

For now, each ride is priced at a $4.20 flat fee. Occasionally, the app may decline a ride due to “high service demand,” which happened at least once to Demaree, according to his video.

There is a geofence for robotaxis at the moment. Riders cannot go beyond the area that encircles Zilker, South Lamar, South Congress, East Riverside Otorff, and part of the Lakeshore and the Rainey Street Historic District, according to screenshots from Demaree. By comparison, Waymo’s service range is about twice the size in Austin, where it also operates.

The early access rides are not human-free. Each robotaxi comes with a human in the front passenger seat to monitor the vehicle. No video that Business Insider has watched so far shows a significant intervention from the human supervisor.

Robotaxis vehicles, which are right now the Tesla Model Y, have a rear screen for backseat passengers with a real-time map showing how far you are from the destination. For those with Tesla accounts, riders can also access existing playlists and podcasts from the rear screen.

According to Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla investor with early access, the screen also automatically logs you out after you leave the robotaxi for privacy protection.

What it did wrong

In a 17-minute ride to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin, Rob Maurer, who used to run the “Tesla Podcast,” was briefly driven into the opposite lane by a robotaxi.

The robotaxi started to signal a left turn a few hundred feet ahead of an intersection, but once at the intersection, it decided against the turn and chose to continue straight instead, according to the video.

It crossed the double yellow lines and briefly entered lanes that belonged to cars heading in the opposite direction. The move prompted the car behind it to honk at it, but fortunately, from what can be seen on video, there was no oncoming traffic from the opposite side.

During the same ride, the robotaxi also exceeded the 35-mph speed limit on multiple occasions, although most cars around it were also driving above the limit.

Separately, some passengers have found that robotaxis make dubious pick-up and drop-off decisions.

In a video posted by Demaree, the YouTuber who goes by Bearded Tesla Guy, he and his companion called a robotaxi that chose to pick them up by pulling into a handicapped parking space.

In a separate video posted on X, the two riders decided to test out the “pullover” button on the rear screen a block before they reached their destination. The move somehow brought the robotaxi to a stop in the middle of the road, even though it says it would pull over at a safe location. A call to a support agent who picked up within seconds eventually sent the robotaxi back on its way.

A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told BI that the agency is aware of various robotaxi-related incidents and is in contact with Tesla to obtain more information. The agency also said that an investigation into Tesla’s FSD-Supervised/Beta remains open.

“NHTSA does not pre-approve new technologies or vehicle systems — rather, manufacturers certify that each vehicle meets NHTSA’s rigorous safety standards, and the agency investigates incidents involving potential safety defects,” the spokesperson wrote.

NHTSA looks into all autonomous vehicles, so Tesla is not the only company it is investigating.

What it did right

From the five videos BI has seen, the robotaxi is generally able to make smooth turns without unnecessary hesitation, and keeps a consistent distance between itself and the car ahead.

It also knows how to switch into a lane with fewer cars, brake for swerving cars, and yield on left turns.

Despite occasionally exceeding speed limits, videos did not show it exceeding the limits by more than 5 mph, and it could be attempting to keep up with the general speed of other vehicles.

Demaree’s riding companion said during the ride that he thought the robotaxi’s cautiousness when braking at the sight of pedestrians and cyclists had been “cranked up a little bit.” The robotaxi braked for a cyclist who would have been in its way had the cyclist not taken a turn in a different direction.

In the same video, the robotaxi also managed to get itself out of a sticky situation in a busy grocery store parking lot where the two riders were dropped off. It started out yielding to almost every car, but then the robotaxi asserted itself and was able to get out of the lot.

Two nighttime videos also showed notable robotaxi abilities.

Unlike Waymo, Tesla’s more established rival, robotaxis do not have lidar or radar. The vehicles are equipped with eight cameras and a version of the company’s Full-Self Driving software that does not require a human behind the wheel. The FSD version available to Tesla owners is a driver-assistance system that requires a human driver’s full attention.

There are indeed fewer cars on the road at night, but in both videos, the robotaxi made no critical errors in the low-light situations.

In one video posted by a tech influencer, who goes by Chrisbtech on TikTok, the robotaxi pulled over to the right side of the road when an ambulance with sirens blasting approached at full speed. Other drivers — including a human-driven Cybertruck in the next lane — did not pull over.

On Monday, Tesla shares rallied as much as 11% at their peak, before landing at 8% at 4 p.m. ET. The rally, however, did not continue through Tuesday.

Tesla, Rob Maurer, Justin Demaree, Sawyer Merrit, and the National Transportation Safety Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.