Tesla's Autopilot has come under fire again. During testing in Austin, Texas, a Model Y electric car with Full Self-Driving (FSD) enabled drove past a stopped school bus with flashing lights eight times in a row and hit mannequins that were imitating children, Engadget reports.
The test was organized by activist groups The Dawn Project, Tesla Takedown, and ResistAustin — all of whom oppose the introduction of what they believe are dangerous autonomous driving technologies.
The organizers claim that they followed standard traffic rules: the bus was stopped with red lights on and a "STOP" sign displayed, obliging other cars to stop. However, the Model Y with FSD never reacted properly - in each race, the car continued moving and knocked down the mannequins on the side of the road.
Full Self-Driving requires constant driver supervision, and Tesla officially warns that ignoring instructions can lead to injury or death. But activists accuse the company of misleading users by using a name that implies full autonomy.
This is not the first public action by The Dawn Project. In 2022, its founder Dan O'Dowd launched an advertising campaign against Tesla, claiming that FSD cannot operate safely near school buses. In 2024, a Model S Autopilot was involved in a fatal accident in Washington, killing a motorcyclist.
Activists are also growing in anticipation of the launch of Cybercab, a fully autonomous Tesla taxi. The presentation is scheduled for June 22, but Elon Musk said that the company is "as paranoid as possible about security," so the date may be changed. According to Musk, on June 28, Tesla should deliver the first car that will independently leave the factory and arrive at the customer's home.