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The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has contacted Tesla after footage shared on social media appeared to show its newly-launched driverless cars breaking traffic laws.<\/p>\n
The firm’s long-awaited robotaxis – which boss Elon Musk says are central to Tesla’s future – were tried out on public roads for the first time in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Videos posted online seem to show instances where the vehicles, which had a safety driver in the passenger seat, drive erratically.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the NHTSA said it was “aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information.”<\/p>\n
The BBC has contacted Tesla for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Despite the importance Musk places on his robotaxi project, Sunday’s launch was low key.<\/p>\n
A small group of invited analysts, influencers and shareholders participated in paid rides. <\/p>\n
Musk congratulated Tesla’s artificial intelligence and chip design teams on the launch in a post on X<\/a>, writing that it was “culmination of a decade of hard work”.<\/p>\n However, social media footage seems to show the vehicles struggled with real world driving scenarios.<\/p>\n One video seems to show a robotaxi stopping abruptly<\/a> as it passes a parked police car.<\/p>\n