Starting September 1, fully automated cars will require a permit to operate in Texas. This new restriction comes after the state’s governor, Greg Abbottt, signed into law the SB 2807 bill that requires authorization from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles for self-driving cars on public streets without human interaction, Engadget reported.
The signing of the new law coincides with Tesla’s launch of its robotaxi service in Austin today where invited guests got to ride in fully autonomous Model Ys. While the law doesn’t go into effect until a few months later, Tesla’s robotaxi launch could have skirted this new regulation since all rides are accompanied by a human “safety monitor” in the front passenger seat.
In the coming months, Texas’ new law may prove to be more than just a headache for Tesla. Besides the permits, the upcoming regulation allows state authorities to the ability to revoke permits and requires companies to provide methods of dealing with self-driving cars in emergency situations to police and first responders.
While this could become a serious hurdle for Tesla, it’s also likely to affect Waymo, since it currently operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin.
The Guardian reported: Austin, Texas is set to be the first city worldwide to see Tesla’s self-driving robotaxi service on its roads. Elon Musk, CEO of the electric carmaker, has said he is “tentatively” planning to roll out a small number of these autonomous vehicles on the streets of the Texas state capital on Sunday.
Details about the company’s robotaxi service have been scant since its unveiling in October of last year, and its launch has been delayed. Musk has told reporters that there may be fewer than a dozen cars in Austin on Sunday and that the vehicles will stick to specific neighborhoods. Some analysts believe that the robotaxis will only be available to employees and invitees initially.
For the CEO, Tesla’s rollout is slow. “We could start with 1,000 or 10,000 [robotaxis] on day one, but I don’t think that would be prudent,” he told CNBC in May. “So, we will start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40.”
The billionaire has said the driverless cars will be monitored remotely, but it is unclear if a safety drive will accompany the vehicles — as is standard practice when other robotaxi companies have launched in new cities.
NBC News reported: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising self-driving cars for a decade, and the moment of truth may finally be here.
Musk, who’s mostly back in the private sector after his chain saw-wielding turn in the Trump administration, has said that Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. Though he said the exact day could still shift, Tesla appears to be getting close to making an attempt, with videos spreading online of road tests where no human is in the driver’s seat.
But Tesla is also starting from behind. Waymo, a spinoff of Google, is already running a robotaxi service in several cities including Austin, and the service has a growing following.
Safety remains a key question. Musk has rejected the idea of using radar and lidar sensors on Tesla vehicles, instead relying on cameras in a departure from some rivals. He has said th Tesla robot axis are using a “new version of software” that’s relatively untested.