Tesla now yes, finally good news! Green light in California for robotaxis!! Tesla has finally gotten permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to start testing its robotaxis in one of the most demanding and monitored places on the planet when it comes to cars and technology. Musk, finally one of your promises is going to come true!
For now, with someone at the wheel
The authorization Tesla has received allows tests “with a safety driver,” or in other words: there is still a human at the wheel, ready to brake if something goes wrong as we have seen in some videos… And you don’t know how important it is that California has taken this step!
And what happened in Austin?
Before this, Tesla had already done some tests in Austin, Texas. There the robotaxis drove with an engineer in the passenger seat, ready to intervene if necessary. Videos were recorded, uploaded to social media, and some people were amazed… and others only saw mistakes.
And no, it was not perfect, there were weird maneuvers, oversights, tense moments in the middle of traffic. But the reality is that the technology is mature enough to put it on the street, compete one-on-one with Waymo or Cruise, and keep learning.
California, the big testing ground
With Tesla entering the game, there are now 29 companies licensed to test autonomous vehicles in California. Not bad, although in 2019 there were more than 70. The difference is that now, those who remain, mean business.
The state is perfect for this: heavy traffic, giant cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco, and all the pressure of Silicon Valley watching every move. If something can go wrong, here it will go wrong. That is why it is the ideal place to fine-tune algorithms and prove that the car can handle itself without messing up.
What does this license really mean?
For those who think that tomorrow Tesla is going to fill the streets with driverless taxis… not yet. The license is only for tests with human supervision, so no empty cars picking up passengers for now.
But it does mean that Tesla can now test in one of the most regulated states in the country. And that gives it access to a large volume of real data, which is exactly what it needs to fine-tune its autonomous driving system.
Tesla goes its own way, as always
While Waymo (Google) and Cruise (General Motors) have already been running in cities with no one behind the wheel, Tesla is betting on leveraging the millions of users who already have its cars, the millions of miles those cars travel daily, and using all that to train its artificial intelligence.
Now, with the DMV’s approval, it officially enters the big race. It is no longer just Musk talking on X, now there are cars driving with official permission and with data that can make a difference.
And now what?
Well now the good part begins. Tesla has to prove that its robotaxi not only works, but that it is safe, predictable, and useful. That it can coexist with cyclists, pedestrians, misplaced traffic lights, and unpredictable human drivers.
There are still many restrictions. This is the beginning of a long stage. But every mile they add in California brings them closer to their ultimate goal: that you can order a car from your phone, and that it arrives by itself, without a driver, and takes you wherever you want without you having to do anything!