Latest news with #CPUC
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla's Robotaxi Plans in San Francisco Kicking Off With Human Drivers Giving Taxi Rides
Tesla is effectively starting up a chauffeur-style taxi operation in the San Francisco Bay Area, Reuters reports. Sound like a strange move for a company obsessed with self-driving cars? That's because it's far from the whole story — and not exactly what Tesla is aiming to ultimately accomplish. In a recent earnings call, CEO Elon Musk said Tesla was 'getting the regulatory permission to launch' its robotaxis — which currently operate only in Austin, Texas — in additional markets, with one of those intended markets being San Francisco. While Tesla waits for regulatory approval, it's still sending cars out into the mean streets of The City by the Bay, but they'll be required to have a human in the driver's sea controlling the vehicle. (Tesla's 'robotaxis' in operation in Austin have a person in the passenger seat monitoring the proceedings, but there's nobody in the driver's seat.) Reuters cites a spokesperson for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as saying that 'Tesla is not allowed to test or transport the public' in an autonomous vehicle, even if it has a human safety driver. The spokesperson said Tesla can only transport people if it's done using a human driver in a 'non-autonomous vehicle.' As of this writing, Tesla's permit allows it to operate traditional vehicles for charter services... or in other words, a taxi. Of course, Tesla can skirt around some of this language by simply having its chauffeur drivers use its Full-Self Driving software while transporting passengers. This software is completely legal for owners to use, but the law requires a human driver to constantly monitor and be ready to take over at any time. There's no special permit required, though Reuters says the CPUC spokesperson did not respond when queried about its ability to activate FSD with passengers in the car. This charter service will be extremely limited at the beginning, as Tesla reportedly told the CPUC it would start by offering rides to 'friends and family of employees' and 'select members of the public.' There's still a lot to learn (and permits to be obtained,) so questions such as future costs and timing are all impossible to answer for the time being. Rides would theoretically be chargeable in the future, but California's regulations require companies to initially operate in a pilot phase where they're not allowed to charge customers for their services. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
Canada News.Net
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Canada News.Net
Tesla's Bay Area ride service won't be autonomous yet
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Tesla is rolling out a new ride service in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it won't be the fully autonomous robotaxis CEO Elon Musk has long promised. Instead, the electric vehicle maker will offer a human-driven, chauffeur-style service to a limited group of users, according to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Despite recent statements from Musk and Tesla executives about regulatory progress, the company does not currently hold the necessary permits to deploy self-driving vehicles in California, the regulator clarified on Friday. Tesla's upcoming Bay Area service will rely on human drivers operating traditional vehicles, not autonomous ones. The company told the CPUC it intends to offer rides to "friends and family of employees" and "select members of the public" under a charter permit it already holds. This allows Tesla to provide transportation as long as a licensed human driver is behind the wheel. The service may use Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature, which can perform many driving functions, but state law does not classify that as autonomous driving since the human driver is expected to remain in control at all times. The clarification comes after some confusion caused by Musk's comments during an earnings call this week. He said Tesla was "getting the regulatory permission to launch" robotaxi services in specific markets, including the Bay Area. Business Insider reported that a robotaxi service was imminent, but Tesla has not applied for any of the permits required to operate autonomous vehicles in California. Ashok Elluswamy, who heads Tesla's self-driving team, said during the same earnings call that the company would launch a robotaxi program "with the person in the driver's seat… while we wait for regulatory approval." Tesla has been testing a limited autonomous pilot in Austin, Texas, using Model Y SUVs where human safety monitors sit in the front passenger seat. However, in California, the CPUC said Tesla "is not allowed to test or transport the public" in any vehicle operating autonomously, even if a safety driver is present. To run a paid robotaxi service in California, companies must first go through a pilot phase and secure multiple permits from both the CPUC and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Tesla has not yet begun that process.
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Tesla set to roll out human-driven chauffeur service in Bay Area
Tesla plans to offer a chauffeur-style service operated by human drivers to a limited number of people in the San Francisco Bay Area, a California regulator said on Friday, contrary to a media report that the EV maker would offer a robotaxi service. Unlike Alphabet's Waymo unit, Tesla cannot operate its service using autonomous vehicles because the EV maker does not have the required permits and has not applied, according to a spokesperson for the California public utilities commission (CPUC). Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on an earnings call the company was "getting the regulatory permission to launch" robotaxis in several markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Business Insider reported on Friday the service would be a robotaxi operation with humans in the driver's seat who would be able to control the car. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla's self-driving efforts, said on Tesla's Wednesday earnings call the company would launch a robotaxi service in the Bay Area "with the person in the driver's seat, just to expedite, while we wait for regulatory approval". Last month, Tesla launched a trial robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, using about a dozen Model Y SUVs. Tesla invited a few passengers to use the service, where human safety monitors sat in the front passenger seat. Tesla's autonomous-driving software controlled the vehicle. With the Bay Area service, Tesla "is not allowed to test or transport the public" in an autonomous vehicle, even one with a human safety driver, according to the CPUC spokesperson, who added Tesla can only transport people using a human driver in a "non-autonomous vehicle". The spokesperson said Tesla told the CPUC on Thursday it plans to offer rides to "friends and family of employees" and "select members of the public" under a permit the company has that allows a human driver to transport passengers in a "traditional vehicle" for "charter services". For the Bay Area service, Tesla may be able to use its full self-driving (Supervised) feature which can perform many driving tasks but requires a human driver to pay attention and be ready to take over at all times. The CPUC spokesperson did not respond to a question on whether Tesla could use the feature, but such technology does not require an autonomous vehicle permit in California because the human driver is expected to be in control at all times. Companies need permits from the CPUC and the California department of motor vehicles (DMV) to test and deploy autonomous vehicles in the state. To date, Tesla only has a DMV permit to test autonomous vehicles with a safety driver. A DMV spokesperson said Tesla recently met with the agency but has not applied for additional permits that would be needed to collect fares or test without a safety driver. The next step in the process for Tesla would be to apply for a CPUC licence for an autonomous vehicle to pick up passengers with a safety driver, according to a review of California's autonomous driving regulations. However, companies must first operate in a pilot phase in which they cannot charge customers. Waymo, which offers autonomous ride-hailing in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, logged more than 13-million testing miles and secured seven different regulatory approvals in California over nine years before receiving the go-ahead to charge passengers for rides in driverless robotaxis in 2023.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Tesla updates robotaxi users about chauffeur-style service in California
Tesla sent robotaxi users a new terms-of-service agreement detailing its planned launch in California's Bay Area, Business Insider reported citing a screenshot of the notification sent to users on notification said, "If your ride is taking place in California, it is being conducted with a safety driver using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) pursuant to authority from the California Public Utilities Commission," adding that rides taken outside California are "conducted autonomously," confirming Reuters reporting from a day earlier. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported earlier that unlike Alphabet's Waymo unit, Tesla cannot operate its service using autonomous vehicles in the Bay Area because the EV maker does not have the required permits and has not applied according to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Tesla said the service would use a variant of its supervised Full Self-Driving software , the report said. For the Bay Area service, Tesla may be able to use its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature, which can perform many driving tasks but requires a human driver to pay attention and be ready to take over at all times. This week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on an earnings call that the company was "getting the regulatory permission to launch" robotaxis in several markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Tesla told the CPUC on Thursday that it plans to offer rides to "friends and family of employees" and "select members of the public" under a permit the company has that allows a human driver to transport passengers in a "traditional vehicle" for "charter services." Tesla recently met with the agency but has not applied for additional permits that would be needed to collect fares or test without a safety driver, Reuters reported earlier this week. The next step for Tesla would be to apply for a CPUC license for an autonomous vehicle to pick up passengers with a safety driver, according to a review of California's autonomous driving regulations. But companies must first operate a pilot phase, where they cannot charge customers.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
Tesla updates robotaxi users about chauffeur-style service in California: Report
Tesla sent robotaxi users a new terms-of-service agreement detailing its planned launch in California's Bay Area, Business Insider reported citing a screenshot of the notification sent to users on Saturday. The notification said, 'If your ride is taking place in California, it is being conducted with a safety driver using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) pursuant to authority from the California Public Utilities Commission,' adding that rides taken outside California are 'conducted autonomously,' confirming Reuters reporting from a day earlier. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported earlier that unlike Alphabet's Waymo unit, Tesla cannot operate its service using autonomous vehicles in the Bay Area because the EV maker does not have the required permits and has not applied according to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Tesla said the service would use a variant of its supervised Full Self-Driving software, the report said. For the Bay Area service, Tesla may be able to use its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature, which can perform many driving tasks but requires a human driver to pay attention and be ready to take over at all times. This week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on an earnings call that the company was 'getting the regulatory permission to launch' robotaxis in several markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Tesla told the CPUC on Thursday that it plans to offer rides to 'friends and family of employees' and 'select members of the public' under a permit the company has that allows a human driver to transport passengers in a 'traditional vehicle' for 'charter services.' Tesla recently met with the agency but has not applied for additional permits that would be needed to collect fares or test without a safety driver, Reuters reported earlier this week. The next step for Tesla would be to apply for a CPUC license for an autonomous vehicle to pick up passengers with a safety driver, according to a review of California's autonomous driving regulations. But companies must first operate a pilot phase, where they cannot charge customers.
