Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) will launch Robotaxi service in the San Francisco Bay Area? Regulatory agency: not yet approved

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) confirmed on Friday local time that Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) has not applied for the necessary permits to operate a self-driving robotaxi service. This decision essentially halts Tesla, Inc.'s plans to launch robotaxi services on a large scale in the Bay Area of California as early as this weekend. A spokesperson for CPUC stated that unlike Alphabet's Waymo, Tesla, Inc. cannot operate such a service with self-driving vehicles because the company has neither obtained the required permits nor submitted an application. Earlier this week, Tesla, Inc. CEO Elon Musk stated during an earnings call that the company is obtaining regulatory approval to launch robotaxi services in multiple markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Several media outlets reported that Tesla, Inc.'s robotaxi service would cover most areas of the San Francisco Bay Area this weekend, including Marin County, most of the East Bay, San Francisco itself, and areas south to San Jose. In the initial phase of the service, vehicles will be equipped with safety drivers. Ashok Elluswamy, head of Tesla, Inc.'s autonomous driving division, also mentioned during Wednesday's earnings call that the company is planning to launch a robotaxi service with safety attendants present in the Bay Area and is awaiting approval from regulatory authorities. Last month, Tesla, Inc. launched a robotaxi trial operation in Austin, Texas, using approximately ten Model Y SUVs and inviting a limited number of passengers to experience the service. In this service, the vehicles were controlled by autonomous driving software, but safety attendants were present in the front seats. Regarding the Bay Area service, a spokesperson for CPUC stated that Tesla, Inc. has not received approval from the agency to offer autonomous driving passenger services to customers, regardless of whether payment is involved or if there are human drivers in the vehicles. According to the existing permit, Tesla, Inc. can only transport passengers with human drivers in "non-autonomous vehicles." The spokesperson mentioned that on Thursday, Tesla, Inc. informed CPUC that the company plans to use its existing permit to offer "charter services" with human drivers in traditional vehicles to transport employees' friends and family and specific members of the public. In the Bay Area service, Tesla, Inc. may utilize its "FSD Supervised" feature, which can perform various driving tasks but requires human drivers to pay attention to the road conditions and be prepared to take over. Operating and testing autonomous vehicles in California requires obtaining multiple permits from both CPUC and the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). As of now, Tesla, Inc. has only obtained a permit for "autonomous testing with safety attendants" from the DMV. According to California's regulations on autonomous driving, Tesla, Inc.'s next step should be to apply for CPUC's permit to enable the transportation of passengers with autonomous driving vehicles with safety attendants. However, companies must first go through a "pilot phase" during which they cannot charge passengers. Currently, Waymo already offers robotaxi services in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The company's autonomous vehicles have accumulated over 13 million miles of testing over the past nine years, receiving seven different regulatory approvals from California and finally being permitted to offer paid robotaxi services to passengers by 2023. This article is republished from "CaiLian Press"; GMTEight Editor: Li Fo.