Report: Tesla Invokes Federal Law to Prevent Disclosure of Robotaxi Testing Data
Tesla began a small-scale rollout of its Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, over the weekend, marking a significant step forward for the automaker’s autonomous vehicle ambitions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is collecting data on the program, but Tesla recently told the government agency not to publicly disclose any of the information it gathers.
Tesla began a small-scale rollout of its Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, over the weekend, marking a significant step forward for the automaker’s autonomous vehicle ambitions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is collecting data on the program, but Tesla recently told the government agency not to publicly disclose any of the information it gathers.
Last week, the NHTSA announced that it was reviewing answers Tesla gave in response to its questions about Robotaxi safety and performance in poor weather conditions. The automaker responded by leaning on a federal law that prevents the NHTSA from releasing what it considers confidential information.
Tesla attorneys said that the protection would prevent the company’s commercially valuable information from leaking to competitors, which could mean that the automaker disclosed sensitive information on camera systems and other technologies that it doesn’t want others to know about.
Tesla’s letter to the NHTSA read, “Nefarious actors could also use the marked information to smear Tesla’s brand for the sake of notoriety. Absent public disclosure, access to the marked information and all of the knowledge gained from it would require significant expenditure of time and resources and very intimate knowledge about Tesla.”
The Robotaxi program debuted in Austin with $4.20 rides to early adopters. While it’s understandable that Tesla would want to protect its intellectual property, this move could also be intended to smooth over public perception of the trial, which currently relies on human operators behind the scenes.
[Images: Tesla]
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