Tesla Expands Robotaxi Service to San Francisco, Driver Still Required
So, Tesla's taking its robotaxi ambitions a little further. News is circulating that they're rolling out a very limited version of their robotaxi service in San Francisco. After kicking things off in Austin, Texas, last month, it seems they're ready to test the waters in California. However, there's a pretty big asterisk attached to this.
Here's the deal: these rides will have a driver in the driver's seat. It's not exactly the fully autonomous experience Elon Musk has been promising for years, is it? The reason for this is simple: Tesla doesn't have the green light for driverless testing or deployment in California. According to state DMV records, they still need to secure the necessary permits. It also remains uncertain whether they've got the proper clearance from California’s Public Utilities Commission to offer rides to the general public. For now, it appears they can only do that for employees.
Word on the street is that Tesla plans to send invites to Tesla owners to beta test the service. While Musk mentioned that they're working on getting regulatory approval in California, there's a bit of a shadow hanging over this expansion. The DMV is trying to stop Tesla from selling vehicles in the state, stemming from a long-standing legal battle over claims about their cars' self-driving capabilities. To make matters more complicated, Tesla is currently facing a lawsuit related to deaths allegedly linked to its Autopilot system.
Tesla has been testing an invite-only version of its robotaxi service in Austin since late June. It’s been a far cry from the self-driving future Musk has been hyping. The service is pretty much confined to Austin's downtown area, and there's a safety operator sitting in the front passenger seat, ready to take over if the car decides to do something questionable.
While they launched with a small fleet of vehicles, the exact number in operation and the frequency of safety operator interventions remains unclear. All things considered, it's quite a distance from the "general solution" Musk claimed Tesla was developing for a decade.
Remember when Musk confidently stated that Tesla was developing autonomous software capable of driving from Los Angeles to New York? Well, that never materialized. This week, Musk also mentioned plans to expand to Florida and Arizona.
So, while Tesla's robotaxi ambitions are inching forward, it's clear they're still facing some significant hurdles, both regulatory and technological. This feels like a very controlled experiment.
Source: TechCrunch