YouTuber Mark Rober is facing backlash over a recent video that depicted a spectacular “crash test” of Tesla’s Autopilot feature — with critics claiming it was a hoax orchestrated to hurt Elon Musk’s automaker.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel over the weekend, Rober’s Tesla Model Y seemingly failed to detect a Wile E. Coyote-style wall painted to look like a road – crashing through and demolishing a mannequin designed to look like a child.
But a LiDAR-equipped vehicle featured in the same video appeared to pass the test with flying colors. Rober praised LiDAR tech company Luminar so often throughout the segment that viewers questioned whether the footage was tampered with as part of an elaborate advertisement.
“Tesla needs to pull the data from the car itself and show us exactly what happened,” one user wrote in a post on X.
“I know what the data will show, that this was a huge case of fraud. But I doubt Mark wants us to see all that,” the user continued, adding that Musk and Tesla “should sue the pants off this guy.”
Representatives for Rober’s company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the video, Rober said he was aiming the Tesla at the wall on Autopilot going 40 miles per hour “to see if Tesla’s Autopilot can be tricked because it famously only relies on simple cameras to navigate the world as opposed to much more expensive tech.”
Throughout the test, the former NASA engineer and Apple product designer praised “fancy cars that use more advanced technology,” like vehicles powered by Luminar’s vision-based LiDAR technology. The video also included Luminar employees and merchandise.
Fueling theories that the video was secretly sponsored, Luminar highlighted the video on its corporate website – later deleting it when backlash unfolded, according to Drive Tesla Canada, a news site about Musk’s automaker.
“Thanks to Luminar for allowing us to test their LiDAR-equipped car,” Rober said in the caption under the YouTube video. “They provided the vehicle for testing purposes, but no compensation was given, and this is not a paid promotion.”
Critics also took issue with the title of the video: “Can you fool a self-driving car?” Rober claimed he engaged Tesla’s Autopilot feature, which is technically a driver-assistance feature – meaning the driver should pay attention and be ready to take over – not a self-driving mode.
Social media users also tried to poke holes in Rober’s supposed use of the Autopilot feature.
Some argued the feature did not appear to be engaged at the time of the crash, since images of the central display do not show the telltale blue lines and rainbow road that indicate Autopilot is on.
Rober responded by posting “raw footage” from the crash to dispel rumors, writing in a post on X that he’s unsure “why it disengages 17 frames before hitting the wall but my feet weren’t touching the brake or gas.”
But the raw footage stoked even more scrutiny from Tesla fanatics who pointed out that the original footage showed Autopilot engaged at 39 miles per hour – and the new clip showed the system activated at 42 miles per hour, indicating there were multiple takes of the test.
Social media users speculated that the video was set up to further damage Tesla’s image as Musk’s close ties to the White House through the Department of Government Efficiency spook investors.
Viewers also took note of inconsistencies with a Google Pixel smartphone used throughout the test.
Rober supposedly uses the phone to film some of the footage inside the cars. But social media users questioned why the “G” logo on the back of the phone remains vertical even when the gadget is horizontal.
The bizarre detail led to speculation that Rober used an iPhone or other smartphone and simply photoshopped the “G” on top. The reason for this is unclear, since there’s no mention of Google as a sponsor in the video or caption.
The carmaker has faced protests and vandals at dealerships across the country and suffered a hit to its stock, which has slumped about 40% so far this year.
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