Tesla’s Autonomous Cybercab Involved in First Minor Accident

A new video of Tesla’s fully autonomous Robotaxi shows the damage the vehicle sustained following its first minor accident.

The video was taken by Bilal Sattar, who happened to run into the Tesla Cybercab at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Bilal shared his findings on X under the caption, “What do you think happened to this Cybercab?”

As already mentioned, the accident is definitely minor; however, it’s also easily noticeable. Looking at the plastic bumper underneath the air intake, you can clearly see a chunk taken out of the black trim.

Not only that but next to the most visible damage, the surface area around it is coarse, suggesting that the vehicle briefly brushed up against a wall or something of the sort.

What do you think happened to this cybercab? pic.twitter.com/tPyGOkb5yn
— Bilal Sattar (@bilalsattar) November 30, 2024

This is definitely not a major accident by any stretch of the imagination, and if there were passengers inside the Cybercab when the accident happened, they would definitely be okay.

That said, this is still noteworthy because this is the first time the Cybercab has been involved in any sort of accident.

Unfortunately, no footage of the accident exists as it took place; however, another X user responded to Bilal’s video showing that the same Cybercab on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum has sustained another minor scaff.

Xavier Gascón writes, “Sadly, this Cybercab’s door seems as if it has already been scratched.” Together with his post, Xavier shared a picture of the Cybertruck showing a thin scratch line running across the door.

Sadly, this cybercab’s door seems as if it has already been scratched pic.twitter.com/Qy9Ys4rfJb
— Xavier Gascón (@KyberWolffe) December 1, 2024

Why is this important?

As I have already mentioned, the accidents are not noteworthy in themselves. However, the Cybercab is slated to be the first mass-market vehicle without a steering wheel and pedals.

In the long run, Tesla plans to produce millions of Robotaxis annually. In that context, this accident is an interesting prologue to what’s to come.

Who is to blame when accidents happen in a world where vehicles drive themselves? Who pays the fines for traffic violations? If there is a major accident, who goes to prison?

So far, a lot of us have seen Waymo (Google’s self-driving car company) vehicles causing egregious traffic violations, such as driving on the wrong side of the road.

We’ve also seen the software getting confused and stuck closing off a major highway for a considerable time.

Waymo is dealing with these issues by hiring robotaxi operators who can remotely control the vehicle and help it navigate the situation.

This is okay on the scale of a few hundred self-driving vehicles on the road, and Tesla is also currently pursuing this approach.

However, when millions of Robotaxis are all driving in different locations, weather conditions, and traffic rules, there are questions about how scalable this approach is.

Overall, it’s interesting to see what kinds of strategies Tesla employs as it scales Robotaxi operations. Until then, please let me know what you think about the Cybercab’s first accident. Share your ideas by clicking the red “Add new comment” button below. Also, visit our site, torquenews.com/Tesla, regularly for the latest updates.

Image: Courtesy of Tesla, inc.

For more information, check out: The Sharp Edge on the Tesla Cybertruck Door Slashes Open a Family Dog – Cybertruck Owners Say It’s the Dog’s Fault

Tinsae Aregay has been following Tesla and the evolution of the EV space daily for several years. He covers everything about Tesla, from the cars to Elon Musk, the energy business, and autonomy. Follow Tinsae on Twitter at @TinsaeAregay for daily Tesla news.