Tesla plans to roll out an unsupervised full self-driving paid service in Austin, Texas, later this year, according to CEO Elon Musk. The service is expected to launch in June and will be available in both California and Texas.
The city of Austin has confirmed its involvement with Tesla’s planned service, which will provide training opportunities and uniform information to help the autonomous vehicles operate safely. Resources shared with AV companies include maps of local schools and special events-related traffic control policies.
However, regulatory jurisdiction over self-driving cars lies with the state government in Texas, thanks to Senate Bill 2205 passed in 2017. The bill made rules for autonomous vehicles “uniform for AVs across the state,” with powers reserved for the state government.
Existing AV companies operating in Austin include Waymo, owned by Alphabet, which is currently deploying its service; and Motional, owned by Hyundai, which is in the mapping phase. Other companies like ADMT, AVRide, Zoox, and Waymo’s partnership with Uber are also testing or testing their services in some capacity.
Tesla will be competing with other AV companies in Austin, but it remains to be seen how its self-driving service will perform in the city.
Source: https://www.kxan.com/traffic/transportation/tesla-to-launch-self-driving-paid-service-in-austin-this-year