Starting September 1, fully autonomous cars will require a permit to operate in Texas. This new restriction comes after the state’s governor, Greg Abbott, signed into law the SB 2807 bill that requires authorization from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles for self-driving cars on public streets without human interaction.
The signing of the new law coincides with Tesla’s launch of its robotaxi service in Austin today where invited guests got to ride in fully autonomous Model Ys. While the law doesn’t go into effect until a few months later, Tesla’s robotaxi launch could have skirted this new regulation since all rides are accompanied by a human “safety monitor” in the front passenger seat.
In the coming months, Texas’ new law may prove to be more than just a headache for Tesla. Besides the permits, the upcoming regulation allows state authorities the ability to revoke permits and requires companies to provide methods of dealing with self-driving cars in emergency situations to police and first responders. While this could become a serious hurdle for Tesla, it’s also likely to affect Waymo, since it currently operates an autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin.