This is a different kind of “Richmond driver” incident”, primarily because no driver was involved (unless you count the Tesla itself, which was on autopilot).
Pedestrians in the Richmond Centre parking lot spotted a Tesla Model S driving somewhat weirdly.
Initially, what was weird was the stop-and-start pace the Tesla was going at. However, then people started realizing that the car had no driver.
The incident was first reported by Richmond News, who also obtained the video. Here it is:
Coincidentally, this incident occurred on the same day Bloomberg Businessweek published a long feature story about the results of a Tesla Model 3 survey they conducted. The feature was split into multiple parts released on multiple days, and yesterday saw the release of the Autopilot section.
The article also mentions the “Smart Summon” feature, which was most likely what was used in the case in Richmond.
“Using the Tesla app on a smartphone, drivers outside a vehicle can “summon” their cars to their location through a busy parking lots. With no driver behind the wheel, the car chooses its route and navigates around other vehicles and pedestrians.”
Bloomberg conducted a survey soon after the new feature was released to get some initial impressions. One respondent described the Tesla on autopilot as a “nervous teenager with a learner’s permit”, which is a very accurate description of what happened in Richmond.
Self-driving cars. They’re here.
For more Metro Vancouver news, stay tuned to 604 Now News.
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