Tesla's June robotaxi deadline looms as political backlash builds over Elon Musk

Elon Musk has been promising investors for about a decade that Tesla's cars are on the verge of turning into robotaxis, capable of driving themselves cross-country, after one big software update. That hasn't happened yet. What Tesla offers is a sophisticated, but only partially automated, driving system that's marketed in the U.S. as its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) option, though many Tesla fans refer to it as FSD. In China, Tesla recently changed the system's name to "intelligent assisted driving." Full Self-Driving, as it was previously called, relies on cameras and software to enable features like automatic navigation on highways and city streets, or automatic braking and slowing in response to traffic lights and stop signs. Tesla owner's manuals warn users that FSD "is a hands-on feature" that requires them to pay attention to the road at all times. "Keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times, be mindful of road conditions and surrounding traffic," the manuals say. ... Read full article.