To make sure the autonomous “robotaxis” are safe, a group of Texas Democrats has asked Elon Musk to postpone their planned launch in the state this weekend.
Seven state politicians have written to Tesla, urging the company to hold off on deploying fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver until September, when a new legislation would be in place to mandate several safety inspections. On Sunday, Tesla will begin testing twelve of its so-called robotaxis for paying customers in a restricted region of Austin, Texas.
“We are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September 1, 2025,” states the letter dated Wednesday, June 18, of this year. “We think this is for the greater good of public safety and establishing confidence in Tesla’s business practices.”
If the letter will make a difference is unclear. Over the past two decades, Republicans have maintained a commanding majority in the Texas legislature. Republicans in Texas’s legislature and governor, Greg Abbott, have been rather supportive of Elon Musk and the investments and employment he has brought to the Lone Star State through his SpaceX rocket program and Tesla plant in Austin.
A request for comment from The Associated Press was not immediately replied to by the Austin-based corporation.
Businesses will need to get the green light from their state’s motor vehicles department before they can legally run passenger-car autonomous vehicles. That green light would be contingent upon, among other things, adequate evidence that the vehicles won’t endanger others in the event of a self-driving system failure. Businesses will also be required to submit comprehensive plans outlining how emergency personnel will manage the vehicles in the event of an incident.
Whatever its decision about this weekend’s test run may be, the letter urged Tesla to reassure lawmakers that it has complied with all lawful obligations.
Reuters first broke the story of the letter.
The robotaxi initiative is Musk’s top priority at Tesla, and its failure would certainly have a devastating effect on the stock, which has already fallen 20% this year.
As a result of Musk’s sponsorship of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in February’s election—a move that garnered widespread criticism—and his ties to the Trump administration, Tesla sales have plummeted, especially in Europe.
The stock price of Tesla hit rock bottom in March and has since recovered somewhat. The rapid expansion to other cities and ultimate dominance of the self-driving cab company are major factors in the confidence that has contributed to the surge, along with the smooth deployment of robotaxis. Waymo, a competitor, has lately bragged of surpassing 10 million paid trips and is already attracting riders in Austin and other places.