AUSTIN (KXAN) --- In less than a week, people might see Tesla robotaxis riding around Austin. The company reportedly planned to launch its autonomous vehicle ride hailing service Thursday, June 12.
Still, a federal agency has several questions about the safety of the vehicles.
Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk discussed plans with CNBC to launch the service in Austin.
How is Austin working with Tesla on its robotaxi rollout?"We want to deliberately take it slow," Musk said. "I mean, we could start with 1,000 [robotaxis] 10,000 on day one, but I don't think that would be prudent. So we will start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40."
Musk himself mentioned testing already started. Just last week, he posted on X that, "for the past several days, Tesla has been testing self-driving Model Y cars (no one in driver's seat) on Austin public streets with no incidents."
The service is reportedly already available for some employees. In April, Tesla's AI account posted a video on X claiming that "supervised ride hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin and [the] San Francisco Bay Area."
US agency asks questions about robotaxi plan
Still, some questions remain unanswered. In a letter sent to Tesla in May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked the company to explain how it plans to operate safely.
Questions focused on things like:
Crash reporting Complying with traffic safey laws Automated responses to emergenciesNHTSA asked how the robotaxis will safely operate in low-visibility, like sun glare, fog, rain or snow. Those conditions are tied to previous accidents involving the company's driver-assistance software.
KXAN reached out to see if NHTSA heard back. The agency told us its investigation remains open and that Tesla's response must be submitted by June 19. NHTSA said any updates will be posted in the investigation file online.
The letter said Tesla may be fined up to $27,874 per day if the agency does not receive a prompt response, with a maximum fine of $139,356,994.
City of Austin’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force
Back in December 2024, KXAN confirmed Tesla was in talks with the city of Austin over its autonomous vehicle technology. A spokesperson for the Transportation and Public Works Department said Tesla reached out to the city’s autonomous vehicle task force.
“The City treats each AV company that expresses interest in Austin the same, offering training opportunities and providing uniform information,” the transportation spokesperson said in an email to KXAN.
KXAN received an updated statement from the department regarding those discussions.
We are working with Tesla, as we work with all AV companies looking to deploy in Austin. The city treats each AV company that expresses interest in Austin the same, offering training opportunities and providing information about City right-of-way and procedures.
Additionally, Austin Police recently participated in a training with Tesla vehicles that was hosted by the Texas Department of Public Safety.”
City of Austin Transportation and Public Works DepartmentKXAN reached out to Tesla directly for comment. We'll update this story if we get a response.
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