Federal Investigators are Closely Monitoring Tesla’s Robotaxi Ambitions
Federal safety officials have issued Tesla a comprehensive set of questions regarding its upcoming robotaxi service, as part of an investigation into how the company’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software performs under low-visibility conditions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation is seeking further details on FSD (Supervised) to better understand how Tesla intends to assess its autonomous vehicles and technologies for safe use on public roads, according to a letter made public Monday and first reported by Reuters.
Tesla’s Austin Robotaxi Plans Trigger Federal Scrutiny After April Announcement on X
Tesla has been vocal about its intention to roll out a paid robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, starting in June. However, a post on X from April 23, in which Tesla shared early deployment updates, appears to have drawn regulatory scrutiny.
That post stated: “FSD Supervised ride-hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin & San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve completed over 1.5k trips & 15k miles of driving. This service helps us develop & validate FSD networks, the mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control & remote assistance operations.”
NHTSA Probes Tesla’s FSD Software After Crashes in Low-Visibility Conditions
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched its investigation into Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software in October following four crashes reported in low-visibility conditions. Tesla’s FSD system is a driver-assistance feature that can manage certain driving tasks, such as braking and steering, but still requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and remain attentive.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has stated that the upcoming robotaxi service will operate using a new, unreleased “unsupervised” version of the Full Self-Driving software.
In a letter sent in May, NHTSA posed a series of targeted questions to Tesla to determine whether the automated system intended for robotaxis is identical or similar to the current FSD Supervised system. The agency requested details on the size of the robotaxi fleet, which Tesla vehicle models will be involved, how Tesla will evaluate the safety of its robotaxi technology, and whether this system is connected in any way to the existing FSD Supervised software.
Investigators also requested that Tesla explain how it plans to maintain safety in its robotaxi operations during low-visibility conditions, including scenarios involving sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow.
Read the original article on: TechCrunch
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