Terrifying new footage shows a Tesla robotaxi ripping through partially flooded streets in Austin, Texas.
The clip, which went viral on the r/SweatyPalms subreddit over the weekend, shows the modified Model Y blasting past human-operated vehicles that are operating with far more caution — while passing on the right lane, a no-no for prudent drivers.
"That dude is leaving a permanent hand print on that door handle," one Reddit user joked, referring to the person in the driver's seat holding on for dear life.
"There's probably a permanent mark on the seat too..." another user added about the footage, which was shared by a Tesla stan account called AI DRIVR on CEO Elon Musk's social media platform X.
"Robotaxi will never work in the rain!" meanwhile, Robotaxi: pic.twitter.com/w4mTMlh61B — ΛI DRIVR (@AIDRIVR) July 5, 2025
"Robotaxi will never work in the rain!" meanwhile, Robotaxi: pic.twitter.com/w4mTMlh61B — ΛI DRIVR (@AIDRIVR) July 5, 2025
The company's pilot autonomous ride-hailing service launch has already been mired in controversy, from "dropping off" a rider in the middle of a busy intersection and cruising down the wrong side of the road to driving nearly twice the posted speed limit.
Intriguingly, another influencer received a bizarre call during her first trip in a robotaxi last week, requiring her to exit the vehicle immediately due to incoming weather.
In other words, Tesla's policies appear to be far from consistent across its entire fleet, highlighting the sheer amount of kinks the company still has to iron out before its robotaxis can safely coexist with human drivers on public streets.
Tesla staffers were quick to jump in on the discussion.
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