Tesla ‘Robotaxi’ sold a 66-minute 2.3-mile ride and left a rider 3 miles from his destination

This story is about Tesla's robotaxi service, not a home energy upgrade, so it won't affect your house or your rebate plans. Still, here's what happened: riders in Texas, including people who describe themselves as loyal Tesla owners and fans, have posted a string of bad experiences with the company's driverless ride service. One rider said the app estimated 66 minutes for a 2.3-mile trip, then support couldn't fix the routing and he ended up calling an Uber instead. He only got a refund after his post was viewed more than 630,000 times.

Another rider, who says he's a four-time Tesla owner, has documented repeated problems on video: a drop-off three miles from his car late at night, a ride that missed its stop and had to be taken over remotely by a human support agent, and another that kept passing up his pickup spot until his group gave up and walked. He also filmed a robotaxi stuck in the middle of a road.

None of this touches home energy costs or rebates, so there's nothing here that changes your plans for weatherization, heat pumps, or solar. It's simply a sign that Tesla's driverless ride service is still struggling with basic reliability, even among its own supporters, as the company heads toward a September event meant to showcase the technology to investors.