Tesla has launched a “robotaxi” service in Texas.
On Sunday a small number of people were invited to be part of the launch in Austin, Texas, where they were transported in driverless vehicles. However, for the launch a human safety operator was still in the vehicle.
The launch was characterised as “low-key” by analysts, with Tesla looking to compete with firms which already have robotaxi services such as Waymo, which already operates in Austin, as well as in San Francisco in California and in Phoenix, Arizona.
Uber is also working with Chinese tech firms to bring driverless taxis to more cities.
The BBC quoted an industry analyst, Paul Miller, speaking on the launch: “As expected, only a handful of vehicles are available right now. They only operate in a small part of the city, and there’s a safety driver in the vehicle in case it encounters situations it cannot handle autonomously.”