Tesla took some subtle jabs at its robotaxi competitors ahead of its third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.
On a website Tesla created for its robotaxi safety report, the company uploaded clips of its self-driving cars maneuvering in real-world conditions without a driver behind the wheel. Obstacles and hazards included stormy weather, a pedestrian crossing at a green light, stray pets, and rival robotaxis getting in the way.
Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI, also posted the video on X, calling it “Robotaxi B-roll.”
At around the 1:44 mark of Elluswamy’s post, the video shows a robotaxi coming to a complete stop in its own lane as a Waymo makes a wider-than-usual right turn. The Waymo can be seen encroaching into Tesla’s lane before it returns to its own path.
A Waymo spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
In another short clip, the Tesla robotaxi is seen driving at night, braking for an Avride car that pulled up from the right, a little too far into the Tesla’s path.
Avride is a robotaxi company that offers robotaxi rides through Uber in Dallas and is testing rides with a safety driver behind the wheel in Austin.
A spokesperson for Avride did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tesla posted the footage as it seeks to make its case publicly on robotaxi safety. The company began offering a limited number of autonomous rides without an in-car safety monitor in Austin in January.
In the newly posted safety report, Tesla said its robotaxi service has driven 3.3 million miles autonomously — relatively small compared to Waymo’s more than 271 million miles driven as of June.
Tesla said during its Q3 earnings call that it will launch unsupervised Cybercabs in Dallas in November.
