
Tesla is about to set a bunch of Model Ys loose in Austin, Texas, to operate as robotaxis, which seems like a bad idea when you consider the part where Tesla’s driver-assistance software won’t necessarily stop for school buses and may still decide to plaster a kid, even if it detects one. So it’s understandable that news organizations and safety advocates would want to know what Tesla told the city of Austin about its proposed robotaxi business. Tesla, however, is trying to block the release of that information, Reuters reports.
Following Musk’s January announcement, Reuters says it requested “communications between Tesla and Austin officials over the previous two years” back in February. Fast forward to April 1, however, and Austin public information officer Dan Davis told Reuters that “third parties” wanted those records withheld to protect their “privacy or property interests.” That, in turn, prompted a review by the Texas Attorney General’s office, since they handle public records disputes.
Two weeks later, a Tesla lawyer formally objected to the release of “confidential, proprietary, competitively sensitive commercial, and/or trade secret information,” claiming it would give Reuters access to “Tesla’s deployment procedure, process, status and strategy” and “irreparably harm Tesla.” Reuters, however, disagrees, claiming “Tesla’s intent to deploy the unproven technology on Texas roadways makes its plans ‘an issue of enormous importance to Texas and the public at large.'”
The public deserves to know
Currently, no one really knows what’s going on with Tesla and its plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin. We know it’ll start with a handful of Model Ys, and the service won’t cover the entire city at first, but beyond that, it’s basically a mystery. That said, the city doesn’t really have any power to regulate robotaxis operating in Austin, as Texas passed a law back in 2017 that stops cities from doing exactly that. Still, you have to wonder what, exactly, Tesla doesn’t want made public.
According to the city, it “takes no position on the confidential nature of the information at issue” but is required to request a review from the Attorney General any time “a third-party asserts that their information is proprietary and should not be released.” The AG’s decision on its review is due next week, and hopefully, Ken Paxton’s office does the right thing. Then again, this is Ken Paxton we’re talking about, so we aren’t counting on it.
And if you live in Austin, good luck, and stay safe out there. You’re (probably) gonna need it.