Tesla Expands Robotaxi Testing and FSD Rollout Amid Lawsuit
Tesla is expanding its robotaxi service beyond Austin, hiring test drivers in New York City and other locations while preparing major FSD software updates. The expansion occurs as Tesla faces a class-action lawsuit regarding autonomous driving features.
What happened
Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas in June with a handful of Tesla Model Ys ferrying selected passengers around a limited section of the city with a safety monitor in the front passenger seat. Tesla announced plans to open the service to the general public in September.
Tesla is hiring prototype vehicle operators in New York City, California, Texas, and Florida to collect audio and video data for training its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. The company has not yet applied for a permit to test autonomous vehicles in New York City, though the city's permitting process requires a safety driver behind the wheel.
Reported impact
Tesla robotaxis have been caught on videos driving erratically despite being limited to a small area of Austin. Tesla is also expanding the area of Austin served by its self-driving cars.
Governance controls
New York City requires safety drivers behind the wheel for autonomous vehicle testing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that a Full Self Driving release in about six weeks would be a dramatic gain and is currently going through training and testing.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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