Tesla's plan to launch its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, has sparked protests in the city. While the EV maker targets June 22 as the launch date, local residents are raising their voices against the plan due to political disagreements and safety concerns.
As reported by CNBC, public safety advocates and political protesters are organizing protests against Tesla's robotaxi launch in Austin. Members of the Dawn Project, Tesla Takedown, and Resist Austin have cited safety issues with Tesla's automated driving systems.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk's involvement in Donald Trump's administration and his work in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has prompted another group of people to join the Austin protests against Tesla.
To show Austin citizens the safety problems of Tesla's self-driving system, The Dawn Project brought a Tesla Model Y to the protest, equipped with the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software (version 13.2.9).
In 8 consecutive tests $TSLA Full Self-Driving 13.2.9 ran down child mannequins crossing the road while illegally blowing past a stopped school bus during our live FSD demo in Austin.
— Dan O'Dowd (@RealDanODowd) June 13, 2025
We’ve warned Tesla for 2.5 years. They’ve done nothing. Why isn’t somebody in jail? pic.twitter.com/56i06dAUod
In the demonstration, the Model Y with FSD software reportedly zoomed past a school bus with a stop sign held out and ran over a child-sized mannequin placed in front of the car. The FSD package includes automatic lane-keeping, steering, and parking.
It is unclear to what extent this test was conducted under standard conditions or what Tesla's defense is. However, multiple cases of Tesla FSD software malfunction in the past have resulted in collisions or severe accidents, according to data collected by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Interestingly, The Dawn Project CEO Dan O'Dowd is the CEO of another company that sells embedded safety and security solutions to carmakers like Ford and Toyota.
It remains to be seen whether Tesla could launch a robotaxi service in Austin despite the residents' protests. Earlier this week, Elon Musk demonstrated the new version of Tesla's FSD software in a post on X.
Musk's decisions on DOGE fuel public backlash against Tesla. While Musk left the Trump administration after a beef with the president, he's still a target of public criticism, which directly imapcts Tesla. As a result, the slow sales have even caused Tesla to sell its Cybertruck with 0 percent APR to boost sales.
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