With President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration approaching, Tesla is accelerating its efforts in autonomous driving technology.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Tesla is in early discussions with officials in Austin, Texas, about advancing its autonomous vehicle initiatives.
According to the report, Tesla representatives have collaborated with Austin’s autonomous vehicle task force since at least May, aiming to establish safety standards for their vehicles.
Industry experts note that Tesla could face fewer regulatory hurdles in states like Texas, where minimal regulations and prohibiting city-specific autonomous vehicle restrictions create a favorable environment for innovation.
In October, Tesla unveiled the Cybercab, a driverless vehicle without pedals, at a Hollywood robotaxi event. Following the launch, Elon Musk announced plans to roll out an “unsupervised version” of driver assistance technology in California and Texas next year.
Musk also revealed that Tesla is piloting ride-hailing technology in the San Francisco Bay Area using in-house apps and vehicles equipped with safety drivers.
For years, Tesla has offered its Full Self-Driving (FSD) package. Despite its name, this package still requires constant driver supervision and is not fully autonomous.
With Trump set to take office, investors speculate that Musk’s influence over the administration could help Tesla navigate regulatory roadblocks and further advance its autonomous driving technology. This optimism has led to a recent jump in Tesla’s stock price, which rose by about 3% in pre-market trading.
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