Tesla is in early talks with the authorities in the city of Austin, Texas, about its autonomous vehicle technology, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.
A Tesla employee has been in touch with the city’s autonomous vehicle task force since at least May to establish safety expectations for the vehicles, the report said, citing emails acquired by public records requests.
Tesla had revealed a prototype of the eagerly anticipated Cybercab, a driverless and pedal-less vehicle, at its Hollywood robotaxi event in October, with CEO Elon Musk later announcing plans to introduce an “unsupervised version” of its driver-assistance technology in California and Texas next year.
For several years, the electric vehicle maker has offered a package known as Full Self-Driving, or FSD, which, despite its name, is not entirely autonomous and necessitates continuous driver supervision.
[…]
During an earnings call in October, Musk revealed that Tesla is currently pilot-testing a ride-hailing technology in the Bay Area with its employees, utilizing an in-house app and vehicles equipped with safety drivers.
I mean, I don’t trust anything Elmo says or does, and I wouldn’t give him a dime of my money if I could help it, but you do you. Austin already has Waymo robotaxis if you must get this kind of ride; as previously noted, Cruise is out of the picture. For better or worse, Tesla and Edlo are likely to have a smoother path to regulatory approval, so in the short term they need to show that they’ve got something worth certifying. I wouldn’t if I were you, but I’m sure someone will. Reform Austin has more.