Tesla Speeds Up US Robotaxi Initiative, Seeks Fleet Permit in California | Carscoops

      The ride-hailing service is set to begin with human drivers before moving towards autonomous operation.

      8 hours ago

      by Chris Chilton

      Tesla has made a significant advancement towards launching a robotaxi service on the streets of America.

      Reports indicate that the company applied for a charter-party carrier permit in late 2024.

      Last year, Musk introduced the Cybercab, promising a driverless cab service by 2025.

      Tesla is taking concrete steps to enter the ride-hailing market, officially applying for a transportation charter-party carrier permit from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which is essential for operating a fleet of vehicles for paid rides. This marks a significant movement towards Tesla’s long-envisioned robotaxi service.

      According to sources from Reuters and Bloomberg, Tesla’s ride-hailing service is anticipated to start with human drivers, at least in the beginning. While Elon Musk has made claims about deploying a fully autonomous taxi fleet, asserting last fall that he would initiate ride-hailing services in the U.S. by 2025, regulatory challenges and the current limitations of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software mean that a driverless launch is not imminent.

      Musk's approach reflects the strategy adopted by companies like Waymo, beginning with human-operated services before progressing to completely autonomous operations. Reports suggest that Tesla aims to introduce its ride-hailing service in Texas later this year, possibly as soon as June, with California following shortly thereafter. In addition to securing this charter-party carrier permit, Tesla will require a separate autonomous license before it can operate driverless cabs.

      The eagerly awaited Cybercab, a specially designed autonomous ride-hailing vehicle, is still under development. Although unveiled in October 2024 and lacking a steering wheel and pedals, production will not commence until 2027. Until then, Tesla's ride-hailing goals will depend on its current fleet of electric vehicles with human drivers at the helm.

      Musk has been clear about Tesla’s distinctive approach to autonomy, which relies solely on cameras and neural networks rather than LiDAR as used by competitors like Waymo and Cruise. This strategy has sparked industry debates, with some experts questioning whether Tesla’s vision-only system can achieve safe full autonomy.

      In contrast, Waymo has been expanding its driverless operations, currently managing over 200,000 paid rides weekly in cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. This pushes Tesla to demonstrate its competitiveness. However, Tesla's aspirations for robotaxis extend beyond the United States, as it also aims to introduce a ride-hailing service in China.

      Source: Reuters, Bloomberg