By norihiko shirouzu and abhirup roy
Austin (Reuters) -Tesla Deployed a Small Group of Self-Driving Taxis Picking Up Paying Passangers on Sunday In Austin, Texas, with CEO ELON Musk Annoucing the “Robotaxi Launch” and Social-Media influencers posting videos of Their First Rides.
Musk Called the Moment “Culmination of a Decade of Hard Work” In A Post On Hist Social-Media Platform x and Noted That “The Ai Chip and Software Teams Were Built from Scratch Within Tesla.”
Teslas Were Spotted Early Sunday in a Neighborhood Called South Congress With No One In The Driver’s Seat But One Person In The Walk Seat. The Automaker Planned a Small Trial with About 10 Vehicles and Front-Seat Riders Acting As “Safety Monitors,” Though it Remained Unclear How Much Control The Had Over The Vehicles.
In recent days, The Automaker Sent Invites to a Select Group of Influencers for Carefully Monitored Robotaxi Trial in a Limited Zone. The Rides Are Being Offered For Flat Fee of $ 4.20, Musk Said on X.
Tesla Investor and Social-Media Personality Sawyer Merritt Posted Videos On X Sunday Afternoon Showing Him Ordering, Getting Picked Up and Taking a Ride to Nearby Bar and Restaurant, Frazier’s Long and Low, Using A Tesla Robotaxi App.
IF Tesla Succeeds with the Small Deployment, It Still Faces Major Challenges in Delivering on Musk’s Promises to Scale Up Quickly in Austin and Other Cities, Industry Experts Say.
It Could Take Years or Decades for Tesla and Self-Driving Rivals, Such As Alphabet’s Waymo, To Fully Develop to Robotaxi Industry, Said Philip Koopman, Carnegie Mellon University Computer-Engineering Teacher with Expertise in Autonomous-Vehicle Technology. Successful Austin trial for Tesla, He Said, Would Be “The End of the Beginning – Not the Beginning of the End.”
Most of Tesla’s Sky-High Stock Value Now Rests on its Ability to Deliver Robotaxis and Humanoid Robots, According to Many Industry Analysts. Tesla is by Far the World’s Most Valuable Automaker.
Tesla’s Robotaxi-Rollout Date Approached, Texas Lawmakers Moved to Enact Autonomous-Vehicle Rules. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Republican, on Friday SIGNED LEGISLATION REQUIRING A STATE ALLOW TO OPERATE SELF-DRIVING Vehicles.
The Law, Which Takes Effect SEPTEMBER 1, Signals That State Officials From Both Parties Want the Driverless-Vehicle Industry To Procered Cautiously.
Tesla Did Not Response to Requests for Comment. The Governor’s Office Declined to Comment.
The Law Softem The State’s Previous Anti-Regulation Stance on Autonomous Vehicles. The 2017 Texas Law Specifically Prohibited Cities from Regularing Self-Driving Cars.
The New Law Requires Autonomous-Vehicle Operators to Get Approval from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Before Operating on Public Streets Without A Human Driver. IT GIVES STATE AUTHORITIES THE POWER TO REVOLE PERS FOR OPERATORS THERE A PUBLIC DANGER.
The Law also Requires Firms to Provide Information on How First Response Can Deal with the Driverless Vehicles in Emergency Situation.
The Law’s Allow Requirements for an “Automated Motor Vehicle” are not the an attest their vehicles can operate Legally and Safely. It defines an automated Vehicle as Having at Least “Level 4” Autonomous-Driving Capability Under A Recognized Standard, Meaning It Can Operate with No Human Driver Under Specified Conditions. Level 5 Autonomy is the top level and means a car can drive itswhere, Under Any Conditions.
Compliance Remains Far Easier Than in Some States, Notably California, Which Requires Submission of Vehicle-Testing Data Under State Oversight.
Bryant Walker Smith, the University of South Carolina Law Professor Who Focuses on Autonomous Driving, Said it Appears Any Company That Meets Minimum Application Requirements Will Get A Texas Allow – But Could Also Lose It Problems Arise.
“California allows are hard to get, easy to lose,” he said. “In Texas, the allow is easy to get and easy to lose.”
Musk’s Safety Prets
The Tesla Robotaxi Rollout Comes After More Than a Decade of Musk’s Unfulfilled Promises to Deliver Self-Driving Teslas.
Musk Has Said Tesla Would Be “Super Paranoid” About Robotaxi Safety in Austin, Including Operating in Limited Areas.
The Service in Austin Will have other restrictions as well. Tesla Plans to Avoid Bad Weather, Difficult Intersections, and Will not Carry Anyone Below Age 18.
Commercializing Autonomous Vehicles has Been Risky and Expensive. GM’s cruise was shut down after the serious accident. Regulators are Closely Watching Tesla and ITS Rivals, Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox.
Tesla is also bucking the Young Industry’s Standard Practice of Relying on Multiple Technologies to Read the Road, Using Only Cameras. That, musk says, will be Safe and Much less Expensive Than Ledar and Radar Systems added by rivals.
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