Tesla’s robotaxi plans have the eye of federal investigators

Federal safety investigators have sent Tesla a detailed list of questions on its upcoming robotaxi service as part of an investigation into how the company’s “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software operates in low-visibility conditions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation wants the additional information about Full Self-Driving (Supervised) — or “FSD” — in order to “understand how Tesla plans to evaluate its vehicles and driving automation technologies for use on public roads,” according to the letter published Monday and first reported by Reuters.

Tesla hasn’t been quiet about plans to launch a paid ride-hailing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas using its own fleet vehicles this coming June. But it appears that Tesla’s April 23 post on X captured the attention of federal regulators.

That post, which is cited in the letter, read: “FSD Supervised ride-hailing service is live for an early set of employees in Austin & San Francisco Bay Area. We’ve completed over 1.5k trips & 15k miles of driving. This service helps us develop & validate FSD networks, the mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control & remote assistance operations.”

NHTSA opened its investigation into Tesla’s so-called “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” software in October after four reported crashes in low-visibility situations. Tesla’s FSD software is an advanced driver assistance system that requires the driver to keep their hands on the wheel even as it handles some of the driving operations like braking and steering in certain environments and conditions.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the robotaxis will use the yet-to-be-released “unsupervised” version of its Full Self-Driving software. 

The investigators have been looking into whether FSD can “detect and respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions,” such as “sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.”

In its May letter, the agency sent Tesla a series of questions squarely aimed at determining whether the automated driving system in its planned robotaxis is the same — or similar — to FSD Supervised. The agency asked for specifics on the fleet size and which vehicle models will be used in the robotaxi service, how Tesla plans to determine whether its robotaxi system is safe and if the automated driving system has any relationship to its FSD Supervised product.

The investigators also asked Tesla to describe how it “intends to ensure the safety of its robotaxi operations in reduced roadway visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow.”