Texas legislators want more control over Tesla’s Robotaxis on the road
Most of the public information about Tesla’s Robotaxi launch comes from a small group of influencers invited by the company to visit their first ride with new technology. Many people have financial interests in the company. Others have built their media careers around promoting work and cheerleading for electric vehicle companies. Still, some of the videos posted online show that Tesla’s Robotaxis is making a mistake.
One video shows Robotaxi Easy to cross the double yellow line You try to turn left that clearly failed to drive you into approaching traffic. Another show Human Monitor will stop Tesla to avoid UPS trucks returning to the parking lot. Another show The car looks like a “phantom brake.” It suddenly stops suddenly for no obvious reason.
Self-driving cars are primarily regulated at the state level, and current rules in Texas allow businesses to be anchored widely for testing and deploying on public roads. The federal road safety monitor, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, can only intervene once the technology is already on the road and proves unsafe. In an email statement in response to the documented case, an NHTSA spokesperson wrote that the agency “aware of the case referenced and will contact the manufacturer to collect additional information.”
By law, autonomous vehicle developers must report any incident data to the NHTSA, although the Trump administration has Restricted information developers must share And they allowed them to protect some of it from public places.
The new Texas law, Senate Bill 2807you must obtain operational permits from the self-driving vehicle company before you can reach public roads. Businesses will also need to provide emergency response procedures to the states for first responders. The law will not begin until September 1st. Wired asked the Texas Department of Public Safety on Sunday if the company had undergone Tesla emergency procedures before it began service. The department did not respond.
The state’s new permitting process is less intensive than what California used. California was the first state in the country to create tests and deployment rules for self-driving cars. But the permit means that Texas regulators can step in and stop businesses from operating on the roads if the company is deemed involved in too many safety accidents.
Three other companies –Waymo, Zooxand operates with AV Ride – Austin. Waymo is the only person offering public rides in the city, allowing users to go through the Uber app.
Eckhardt wants Tesla to experience longer mapping, testing and data sharing before it launches in Austin. “We need excellent local and state communication to ensure we actually meet our public safety obligations,” she says.
