The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) has raised concerns about how Tesla’s robotaxis will handle poor weather conditions. Specifically, the NHTSA wants to know how Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (Supervised) system will operate in scenarios such as sun glare, fog, airborne dust, rain, or snow.
Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (Supervised) system is currently classified as Level 2 on the SAE’s Driving Automation chart. This means that although the system is advanced, it still requires the driver to keep their hands on the steering wheel and remain vigilant at all times.
Experts have questioned the capabilities of Tesla’s self-driving technology, especially since the unveiling of the steering wheel-less Cybercab last year. The system relies on multiple video cameras to perceive the road, but it is not fully autonomous yet.
The NHTSA has requested detailed information from Tesla regarding the hardware and software systems used in the development and deployment of its robotaxi service. They also want clarification on Tesla’s position on the SAE Level classification, as autonomous vehicles are typically classified as Level 3 or above.
In addition, the NHTSA is seeking answers on how Tesla monitors disengagements of the self-driving system, the number of disengagements and interventions recorded so far, and how emergency situations will be handled.
Tesla recently announced that its early-access robotaxi service is live in Austin, Texas, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The service, currently available to Tesla employees, has completed over 1,500 trips and covered more than 15,000 miles. The cars used for the service are regular Model Y crossovers with safety drivers onboard.
When the service is fully operational, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claims that the cars will use an “unsupervised” version of the Full-Self Driving software. This has garnered attention from federal safety investigators, especially after the NHTSA opened an investigation into Tesla’s FSD Supervised system following four reported crashes in low-visibility conditions.
Overall, Tesla’s robotaxi rollout is under scrutiny, and the company will need to address the NHTSA’s concerns regarding safety, weather conditions, and autonomous capabilities to ensure the success of its self-driving taxi service.