Tesla confronts demonstrations in Austin regarding Musk’s robotaxi initiatives.

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Blythe Christopher attends a demonstration to protest Tesla robotaxis on June 12, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Todd Wiseman

With Elon Musk targeting June 22 as the tentative start date for Tesla’s pilot robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, protesters are voicing their opposition. Public safety advocates and political protesters, dissatisfied with Musk’s involvement in government, gathered in downtown Austin on Thursday to express their concerns about the robotaxi launch. Members of the Dawn Project, Tesla Takedown, and Resist Austin argue that Tesla’s partially automated driving systems present safety risks.

Tesla markets its vehicles with a standard Autopilot package or a premium Full Self-Driving option (also referred to as FSD or FSD supervised) in the U.S. Vehicles equipped with these systems, which include features like automatic lane keeping, steering, and parking, have been linked to hundreds of accidents, including numerous fatalities, per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Tesla’s robotaxis, which Musk showcased in a video clip earlier this week, are new versions of the company’s popular Model Y vehicles, equipped with forthcoming iterations of Tesla’s FSD software. That “unsupervised” FSD technology is not yet available to the public.

Critics from The Dawn Project, a tech-safety and security education organization, brought a Model Y with recent FSD software (version 2025.14.9) to demonstrate its functionality to Austin residents. During their event, they illustrated how a Tesla with FSD engaged accelerated past a school bus with a stop sign extended and struck a child-sized mannequin positioned in front of the vehicle.

A Tesla Model Y with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v. 13.2.9 engaged failed to stop for a child dummy during a demonstration in Austin, Texas, on June 12, 2025. Todd Wiseman

Dawn Project CEO Dan O’Dowd also runs Green Hills Software, which provides technology to competitors of Tesla, including Ford and Toyota.

Stephanie Gomez, an attendee at the demonstration, expressed her concerns over Musk’s governmental role. She indicated a lack of confidence in Tesla’s safety standards and noted insufficient transparency from the company regarding the operation of its robotaxis. Another protester, Silvia Revelis, emphasized that while she disapproves of Musk’s political involvement, her primary concern is safety.

“Citizens have not been able to access safety testing results,” she stated. “Musk believes he’s above the law.”

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Todd Wiseman contributed to this report.

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