Would you consider it? Take an autonomous car? Our consumers won’t even consider this after hearing some information about Tesla’s launch of Robotaxi in Austin, Texas last month, according to survey data shared with WIRED.
31% of respondents to the survey said they are not considering riding one now. 65% said they hadn’t even heard of Tesla’s Robotaxi launch, which includes a few cars, is only open to invited users (mainly Tesla fans). The cool reception launched may not be ideal for Tesla, which has put its future on its robotics technology.
For electric vehicle manufacturers, things got worse. According to a survey, the survey survey conducted 8,000 U.S. consumers and was conducted by the market research group Electric Vehicle Intelligence Report (EVIR), with 42% of consumers less interested in robot rides after reading excerpts from the Wall Street Journal report released by Tesla. (The excerpt describes the service and points out potential drawbacks of Tesla’s camera-based technology.) Only half of the investigators said they were less convinced that Tesla’s robots were safe. More than 30% said they strongly believe that self-driving taxis should be illegal. (24% said they were unsure.)
Tesla publicly disbanded its public relations team in 2021, but did not respond to a wired request for comment. Tesla CEO Elon Musk will likely be asked by investors about the release of Robotaxi and the public’s reaction to Tesla’s second-quarter tax call.
The company’s destructive approach to electric vehicles and the underlying technology it designs and manufactures has long made automakers, automobiles and its leader in Mexico Musk a lightning rod for the industry. Over the years, Musk and the company were able to turn this flash and noise into high valuations and praise. Despite accounting for 2.5% of global vehicles last year, Tesla remains the most valuable automaker in the world.
But Musk’s stumbling into politics – including a Nazi-like tribute executed at the inauguration of President Donald Trump, and a months-long face as the so-called government efficiency department, seem to have changed how consumers feel about Tesla, especially in Tesla, especially the range of former key figures of the former wealthy liberal. EVIR survey earlier this year found that Tesla is now the only electric car brand with negative consumer perception. Tesla’s delivery fell 13.5% this spring.
Autonomous driving technology, as well as breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and robotics, is part of Tesla’s redemption. “Really, we should be considered an AI robot company,” Musk told investors in April. “If you think of Tesla as a car company… it’s just the wrong framework at all. If someone doesn’t think Tesla will solve autonomy, I don’t think they should be investors in the company.” He said that working in these areas could make Tesla “the most valuable company in the world so far.”
