Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September

Max Headroom 2025.06.20 3 min read

A group of Democratic lawmakers from Austin is asking Tesla to postpone its planned robotaxi rollout, at least until a new state law governing autonomous vehicles takes effect in September.

The letter, which was sent Wednesday, urges Tesla to delay its initial robotaxi launch in the interest of public safety.

What the lawmakers’ letter says

In their letter, the Democratic lawmakers stated that delaying Tesla’s initial robotaxi launch would build trust in the electric vehicle maker’s autonomous vehicle operations.

“We are formally requesting that Tesla delay autonomous robotaxi operations until the new law takes effect on September 1, 2025. We believe this is in the best interest of both public safety and building public trust in Tesla’s operations,” the letter read.

The lawmakers noted that if Tesla wishes to push through with its planned June 22 launch, the company must provide detailed information explaining its robotaxi service’s initial launch.

Seven democrats in the TX House and Senate have asked $TSLA to delay the rollout of TSLA’s scheduled June 22 Austin robotaxi launch until Sept 1, when new autonomous driving regulations are scheduled to go into effect.

As the last sentence reads, Tesla can proceed with the June… pic.twitter.com/4Jxx6xWqgu

— Gary Black (@garyblack00) June 19, 2025

New rules kick in September

The new Texas law passed state legislature last month, and it introduces stricter requirements for companies deploying fully self-driving cars.

Current state law allows autonomous vehicle testing without a human driver, as long as vehicles meet basic registration and insurance standards. The updated framework gives state agencies more oversight, including the ability to revoke permits if autonomous vehicles pose safety risks.

It remains to be seen if the Democratic lawmakers’ efforts will bear fruit, especially since Texas is state where Republicans hold the governorship and majorities in both legislative chambers, as noted in a Reuters report.

Elon Musk, for his part, confirmed that Tesla’s initial robotaxi launch for Austin this June will start with a small fleet of Model Y vehicles. He also noted the service would initially operate only in parts of the city the company deems safest.

Tesla has not issued a comment about the Democratic lawmakers’ letter as of writing.

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