Tesla Discussions with Austin on Autonomous Vehicles

Investing.com — Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc. is currently engaging in talks with the city of Austin, Texas, about deploying its autonomous vehicle technology on Texas roads. These discussions are part of Tesla's plans to potentially introduce its self-driving technology in the state as early as next year.

Public records reveal that a Tesla employee has been in communication with Austin’s autonomous vehicle task force since at least May of this year. The goal of these discussions is to establish safety expectations for the vehicles, as Tesla considers whether Austin will be the first city in Texas to deploy its driverless fleets.

In a November email, the Tesla employee indicated that the company is still deciding which city in Texas will be the first to experience this deployment. The email noted, "The city of Austin is obviously on our roadmap, but has not yet been decided where we will deploy first as we have many options available."

In October, Tesla unveiled a prototype of its highly anticipated driverless, pedal-less vehicle, known as the Cybercab, during its Hollywood robotaxi event. CEO Elon Musk also mentioned plans to offer an “unsupervised version” of its driver-assistance technology in California and Texas next year. However, the event left many investors seeking further clarity on timelines and Tesla's strategy for transitioning from advanced driver-assistance features to fully autonomous vehicles.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.