Tesla is facing a wave of opposition in the city of Austin, Texas, USA, since announcing the start of tests with robotaxis, due to concerns about the safety of Tesla’s autonomous driving systems.
Now it is the turn of a group of Democratic lawmakers from Texas to request Tesla to postpone the launch of the robotaxi in Austin until September, when new autonomous driving regulations are expected to come into effect.
Recall that Tesla has been working to launch the new autonomous vehicle service in Austin starting June 22; however, according to “Reuters“, the group of lawmakers, in a letter sent to Tesla on Wednesday, reminded that delaying the launch of the robotaxi “is in the best interest of public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations.”
Furthermore, the letter reminds Elon Musk’s company that if it proceeds with the launch of the robotaxi in Austin this month, it should respond to a set of questions with “detailed information” demonstrating that Tesla’s service will comply with the new regulations coming into effect in September.
Remember that Elon Musk promised a paid robotaxi service in Austin, which will use about 10 to 20 Model Y vehicles, operating in a limited area and under remote human supervision. Elon Musk’s company also plans to expand its robotaxi service operations to other states in the U.S. by the end of the year.
