The streets of Austin could soon play host to a new fleet of autonomous taxicabs – this one featuring Tesla vehicles.
Austin riders can already hail a driverless Uber, and the city has been a popular testbed for other self-driving startups. Details of the Tesla rollout are limited, but tech expert Omar Gallaga, who wrote about the plans for CNET, says the fleet will start small.
Highlights from this segment:
– Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote on X that Tesla driverless taxis would arrive on Austin streets on June 12. It’s expected that the fleet would include 10-20 Tesla Model Y cars.
– Self-driving Uber vehicles already ferry passengers around Austin, using vehicles from Waymo.
– Tesla self-driving cars differ from other companies’ offerings, in that they use cameras alone, rather than LIDAR sensors, to find their way and avoid obstacles.
– Texas is a popular choice for self-driving ride-hail vehicles because state law prevents cities like Austin from regulating them.
