Tesla hires NYC drivers to test self-driving cars without city permits

Tesla is recruiting drivers in New York City to operate cars fitted with “automated driving systems,” according to recent job postings, although it does not meet the city’s requirements yet. 

Based in Queens, these roles involve driving specially equipped vehicles for long stretches and gathering audio and video data to help train Tesla’s self-driving technology.

New York is saying something else about Tesla’s robotaxis

But the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) told CNBC that Tesla hasn’t applied for the permits required to test autonomous vehicles on city streets. Without those approvals, the company is not legally allowed to operate robotaxis in New York.

According to the DOT, any company that gets licensed in New York is expected to have “trained safety driver behind the wheel, ready to take control of an autonomous vehicle (AV) at all times.”

The DOT also revealed that another firm, Alphabet’s Waymo, reportedly the robotaxi leader in North America, also applied for a permit to test its AVs in the city, and its application is still under review.

As for Tesla, a job opening on its website says the company is looking to hire vehicle operators in the borough of Queens. The hires will be “responsible for driving an engineering vehicle for extended periods, conducting dynamic audio and camera data collection for testing and training purposes.”

To test AVs legally in the city, companies must have a trained safety driver ready to take over at any moment. Tesla’s new hires appear to be part of ongoing preparations, but the necessary permit is still missing.

Tesla isn’t stopping at New York. The company is also looking for test drivers in several other cities, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and Palo Alto, California, where Tesla’s engineering offices are located.

These job listings suggest Tesla is ramping up trials of its Full Self-Driving system, which it markets in the US as “FSD Unsupervised.” Just last week, Tesla won a permit in Texas to run a robotaxi service without needing a human driver on board.

Tesla may expand its service in Austin to the public

Since June, Tesla has quietly operated a small robotaxi fleet in Austin. Employees sit in the passenger seat to step in if necessary. So far, the service is invite-only, but CEO Elon Musk recently hinted it could open to the public soon.

Tesla is also running a similar limited “autonomous ride-hailing” service in San Francisco. But regulators there have made clear the company can’t call it a taxi or carry passengers fully autonomously yet.

Musk posted last week that the company is “working as quickly as possible to get 100+ Teslas operating for autonomous ride-hailing (can’t use the word “taxi” or “cab” in California) in the Bay Area and allow anyone to request a ride.”

Tesla’s push into self-driving cars has not been smooth, battling federal probes, lawsuits, and recalls linked to crashes when Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (FSD) was active. The company is revamping its SFD according to Musk, who hinted that this could be made available next month.

California’s DMV sued Tesla over what it called misleading advertising around driver assistance features. While Tesla’s manuals stress that drivers must stay alert and ready to take control, Musk and Tesla have repeatedly suggested their cars can “drive themselves,” adding to confusion.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s core business of selling electric vehicles is facing challenges. Sales have slowed this year, particularly in Europe. Critics blame this partly on Musk’s focus on the Cybertruck over a more affordable model and his controversial political remarks, which have alienated some customers.

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