A group of Democratic politicians from Texas have requested that Tesla (TSLA.O) postpone the introduction of its much awaited robotaxi in Austin until September, when a new legislation pertaining to autonomous driving is set to go into effect.
In the letter written on Wednesday, the group of politicians from the Austin region stated that postponing the launch, which CEO Elon Musk stated could “tentatively” take place this Sunday, “is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations.”
The lawmakers requested that Tesla provide “detailed information” on how it will adhere to the new state law upon launch, should Tesla choose to proceed with a launch this month.
Musk shifted Tesla’s focus from pursuing quick growth in electric vehicle sales to autonomous-driving technologies last year, staking the company’s future on this technology.
A request for comment on the letter was not immediately answered by Tesla.
In a state where Republicans control both legislative chambers and the governorship, it is uncertain how much weight a letter from Democratic members will have.
Since Musk declared in January that Tesla would provide “autonomous ride-hailing for money in Austin, in June,” investors and analysts have been closely monitoring the Austin rollout. Many believe that the company’s unfulfilled promises of robotaxis and humanoid robots account for the majority of Tesla’s stock market value.
As long as the vehicles fulfill the minimum standards for insurance and registration, autonomous vehicle companies are permitted by current Texas law to run their vehicles anywhere in the state. The new law, which passed the Texas Senate last month, would compel autonomous car businesses to seek for permission to operate in the state for the first time. The governor has not yet signed the measure.
State officials would have the authority to cancel permits if they believe an autonomous car “endangers the public.” Additionally, businesses must inform the state about how police and first responders can handle the vehicles in an emergency.
Regarding their plans for the Austin robotaxi launch, Musk and Tesla have provided few information. According to the CEO, the company will start operating in “only the parts of Austin that we consider to be the safest” and the rollout in Austin would start with 10 or 20 Model Y cars. Musk and Tesla have not disclosed the identities of the passengers, the way in which Tesla would bill for trips, the location of their operations in Austin, or the extent of remote car monitoring and control.